Protective Effects by Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells against Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
LIAO Kang
PAN Mingjie
LI Meihua
HE Sihai
ZHU Yuanping
JIANG Hongyan
Abstract：Objective To investigate the therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs)in mitigating noise-induced hearing loss and cochlear hair cell damage in mice.Methods hUC-MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cords and cultured,and a cell population with mesenchymal stem cell characteristics was established.Fifteen six-weeks-old male C57BL/6J mice with normal hearing thresholds were randomly divided a control,a noise exposure only and a noise exposure+hUC-MSCs treatment group.Auditory brainstem responses(ABRs)were tested on the day before noise exposure and on days 1,3,7 and 14 post-exposure to assess hearing thresholds.Following the experiment,mice were euthanized by cervical dislocation,and the cochlea was extracted for fixation,decalcification,and basilar membrane preparation.Immunofluorescence staining with Alexa Flour 488-Phalloidin and 4',6-diamidine-2-phenylindole(DAPI)was then performed to assess the damage to auditory hair cells.Results The MSCs isolated from human umbilical cords demonstrated adherent growth characteristics and met the criteria for identification.Following noise exposure,ABR thresholds were significantly higher in the noise exposure and noise exposure+treatment groups than in the control group with no noise exposure at 8,16 and 32 kHz(P<0.05),although thresholds in the noise exposure+treatment group were significantly lower than in the noise exposure only group at 8 and 16 kHz(P<0.05),but not at 32 kHz(P>0.05).In both the noise exposure and noise exposure+treatment groups,outer hair cells(OHCs)were neatly arranged without significant loss in the apex,but showed partial loss in the middle turn and substantial loss in the basal turn,with the remaining OHCs showing irregular patterns.Damage to OHCs in the middle and basal turns in the noise exposure+treatment group was less severe than that in the noise exposure only group.Loss of OHCs increased exponentially from the apex to the basal turn,and was less severe in the noise exposure+treatment group than in the noise exposure only group(P<0.05).Conclusion Intravenous administration of mesenchymal stem cells effectively improves hearing function and reduces cochlear hair cell damage in mice exposed to noise.
Keywords：noise-induced hearing lossumbilical cord mesenchymal stem cellshearing protectioncochlear hair cell
Publication Date：2025-02-27
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 113-118 )