Supporting cells as a target of cisplatin-induced inner ear damage: therapeutic implications.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Cisplatin induces adverse effects such as ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Unexplained hearing improvement in sudden deafness and fluctuating hearing loss suggests the presence of some mechanisms other than the primary lesion of the outer hair cell. The authors' aim was to study the functional and morphological lesions induced in the cochlea of the rat after cisplatin injection.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective experimental morphological and functional study.

METHODS

Forty-eight Wistar rats were given intraperitoneal injections of 5 mg/kg cisplatin. After short-, medium-, and long-term survival, animals were studied by means of auditory brainstem response testing and scanning electronic microscopy.

RESULTS

An increased hearing loss was observed in animals with long-term survival compared with animals with short-term survival after a single dose of cisplatin. These findings correlated with a more intense injury of the supporting cells, continuing with the late deterioration of the hair cells.

CONCLUSION

The study suggested that the initial damage of the supporting cells could be responsible for the late injury of the hair cells. This hypothesis was supported by the late increase in hearing loss after a single dose of cisplatin, emphasizing the role of the supporting cells in the cochlear changes induced by cisplatin.