The Role of Curcuminoid in Preventing and Repairing Damage to the Organ of Corti in Rattus norvegicus Diabetes Mellitus Model as Assessed by DPOAE Examination with Plasma Levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A.

Abstract

Introduction: Cells in diabetes mellitus (DM) respond to low oxygen by increasing hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), which impacts vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Although curcuminoids show therapeutic promise, no validated options are available to repair organ of Corti damage caused by DM.

Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the effects of curcuminoid administration on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and plasma levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A in a DM model using Rattus norvegicus .

Methods: An in vivo experimental design was employed with a double-blind control set up. Twenty-five male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: group 1 (DM without curcuminoids), groups 2 and 3 (DM with curcuminoids at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight for 10 days), and groups 4 and 5 (DM with curcuminoids at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight for 13 days). Diabetes mellitus was induced through an intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (150 mg/kg body weight). Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) tests were performed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure plasma levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A.

Results: Significant differences were observed in SNR values, HIF-1α, and VEGF-A ( p  < 0.05). A significant correlation was found between SNR and HIF-1α (r = - 0.553; p  = 0.004) and VEGF-A (r = - 0.564; p  = 0.003), indicating that lower levels of these factors were associated with higher SNR.

Conclusion: Curcuminoids can prevent and treat outer hair cell damage in the organ of Corti due to DM, as shown by improvements in plasma HIF-1α, VEGF-A levels, and SNR values.