Investigation of the protective and therapeutic effects of coenzyme Q10 on acoustic trauma-induced hearing loss in rats

Abstract

Background

Acoustic trauma is a process in which the sound energy coming into the ear is so high that it causes hearing loss. Although various treatments have entered clinical practice today, studies on the prevention and treatment of acoustic trauma continue. In our study, we investigated the protective and therapeutic effects of CoQ10 in rats with hearing loss due to acoustic trauma.

Materials and method

35 Wistar-type Albino rats were used in the study. The rats were randomly divided into five equal groups. The groups are the acoustic trauma group (group 1), the ethanol (solvent of CoQ10) group (group 2), the group given CoQ10 treatment after acoustic trauma (group 3), the control group (group 4), and the group given CoQ10 both before and after acoustic trauma (group 5). At the beginning of the experiment, after CoQ10 treatment and after acoustic trauma, the ABR test was performed in accordance with the experimental plan. At the end of the treatment, ABR was performed on all subjects and the subjects were sacrificed and their bilateral cochleas were excised. Cochleas were examined histopathologically.

Results

Hearing thresholds in the ABR performed on the last day of the study of rats that received CoQ10 after acoustic trauma and those that received CoQ10 both before and after acoustic trauma were significantly better than the measurements on the first day after acoustic trauma(p < 0.05). In histopathological examination, it was observed that the rats in group 5 had more outer hair cells than those in groups 1 and 3. Marginal cell loss in the stria vascularis was less, and nuclear degeneration in the spiral ganglia was less.

Conclusion

In our study, it was determined that CoQ10 had both a protective and therapeutic effect on hearing loss due to acoustic trauma. Better ABR results were obtained in the group given CoQ10 both before and after acoustic trauma.