Selective Vulnerability of the Cochlear Basal Turn to Acrylonitrile and Noise

Exposure to acrylonitrile, a high-production industrial chemical, can promote noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in the rat even though this agent does not itself produce permanent hearing loss. The mechanism by which acrylonitrile promotes NIHL includes oxidative stress as antioxidant drugs can part...

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Main Authors: B. Pouyatos, C. A. Gearhart, A. Nelson-Miller, S. Fulton, L. D. Fechter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2009-01-01
Series:Journal of Toxicology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2009/908596
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author B. Pouyatos
C. A. Gearhart
A. Nelson-Miller
S. Fulton
L. D. Fechter
author_facet B. Pouyatos
C. A. Gearhart
A. Nelson-Miller
S. Fulton
L. D. Fechter
author_sort B. Pouyatos
collection DOAJ
description Exposure to acrylonitrile, a high-production industrial chemical, can promote noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in the rat even though this agent does not itself produce permanent hearing loss. The mechanism by which acrylonitrile promotes NIHL includes oxidative stress as antioxidant drugs can partially protect the cochlea from acrylonitrile+noise. Acrylonitrile depletes glutathione levels while noise can increase the formation of reactive oxygen species. It was previously noted that the high-frequency or basal turn of the cochlea was particularly vulnerable to the combined effects of acrylonitrile and noise when the octave band noise (OBN) was centered at 8 kHz. Normally, such a noise would be expected to yield damage at a more apical region of the cochlea. The present study was designed to determine whether the basal cochlea is selectively sensitive to acrylonitrile or whether, by adjusting the frequency of the noise band, it would be possible to control the region of the auditory impairment. Rats were exposed to one of three different OBNs centered at different frequencies (4 kHz, 110 dB and 8 or 16 kHz at 97 dB) for 5 days, with and without administration of acrylonitrile (50 mg/kg/day). The noise was set to cause limited NIHL by itself. Auditory function was monitored by recording distortion products, by compound action potentials, and by performing cochlear histology. While the ACN-only and noise-only exposures induced no or little permanent auditory loss, the three exposures to acrylonitrile+noise produced similar auditory and cochlear impairments above 16 kHz, despite the fact that the noise exposures covered 2 octaves. These observations show that the basal cochlea is much more sensitive to acrylonitrile+noise than the apical partition. They provide an initial basis for distinguishing the pattern of cochlear injury that results from noise exposure from that which occurs due to the combined effects of noise and a chemical contaminant.
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spelling doaj-art-27db9b1ab55149d4b8b339fd61cb8dc42025-02-03T01:09:24ZengWileyJournal of Toxicology1687-81911687-82052009-01-01200910.1155/2009/908596908596Selective Vulnerability of the Cochlear Basal Turn to Acrylonitrile and NoiseB. Pouyatos0C. A. Gearhart1A. Nelson-Miller2S. Fulton3L. D. Fechter4Research Service, Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA 92357, USAResearch Service, Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA 92357, USAResearch Service, Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA 92357, USAResearch Service, Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA 92357, USAResearch Service, Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA 92357, USAExposure to acrylonitrile, a high-production industrial chemical, can promote noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in the rat even though this agent does not itself produce permanent hearing loss. The mechanism by which acrylonitrile promotes NIHL includes oxidative stress as antioxidant drugs can partially protect the cochlea from acrylonitrile+noise. Acrylonitrile depletes glutathione levels while noise can increase the formation of reactive oxygen species. It was previously noted that the high-frequency or basal turn of the cochlea was particularly vulnerable to the combined effects of acrylonitrile and noise when the octave band noise (OBN) was centered at 8 kHz. Normally, such a noise would be expected to yield damage at a more apical region of the cochlea. The present study was designed to determine whether the basal cochlea is selectively sensitive to acrylonitrile or whether, by adjusting the frequency of the noise band, it would be possible to control the region of the auditory impairment. Rats were exposed to one of three different OBNs centered at different frequencies (4 kHz, 110 dB and 8 or 16 kHz at 97 dB) for 5 days, with and without administration of acrylonitrile (50 mg/kg/day). The noise was set to cause limited NIHL by itself. Auditory function was monitored by recording distortion products, by compound action potentials, and by performing cochlear histology. While the ACN-only and noise-only exposures induced no or little permanent auditory loss, the three exposures to acrylonitrile+noise produced similar auditory and cochlear impairments above 16 kHz, despite the fact that the noise exposures covered 2 octaves. These observations show that the basal cochlea is much more sensitive to acrylonitrile+noise than the apical partition. They provide an initial basis for distinguishing the pattern of cochlear injury that results from noise exposure from that which occurs due to the combined effects of noise and a chemical contaminant.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2009/908596
spellingShingle B. Pouyatos
C. A. Gearhart
A. Nelson-Miller
S. Fulton
L. D. Fechter
Selective Vulnerability of the Cochlear Basal Turn to Acrylonitrile and Noise
Journal of Toxicology
title Selective Vulnerability of the Cochlear Basal Turn to Acrylonitrile and Noise
title_full Selective Vulnerability of the Cochlear Basal Turn to Acrylonitrile and Noise
title_fullStr Selective Vulnerability of the Cochlear Basal Turn to Acrylonitrile and Noise
title_full_unstemmed Selective Vulnerability of the Cochlear Basal Turn to Acrylonitrile and Noise
title_short Selective Vulnerability of the Cochlear Basal Turn to Acrylonitrile and Noise
title_sort selective vulnerability of the cochlear basal turn to acrylonitrile and noise
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2009/908596
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