Jin David Xu, Lin Zhaoyu, Lei Debin, Bao Jianxin
Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Brain Res. 2009 Jun 24;1277:3-11. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.02.017. Epub 2009 Feb 21.
Glucocorticoids, which are steroidal stress hormones, have a broad array of biological functions. Synthetic glucocorticoids are frequently used therapeutically for many pathologic conditions, including diseases of the inner ear; however, their exact functions in the cochlea are not completely understood. Recent work has clearly demonstrated the presence of glucocorticoid signaling pathways in the cochlea and elucidated their protective roles against noise-induced hearing loss. Furthermore, indirect evidence suggests the involvement of glucocorticoids in age-related loss of spiral ganglion neurons and extensive studies in the central nervous system demonstrate profound effects of glucocorticoids on neuronal functions. With the advancement of recent pharmacologic and genetic tools, the role of these pathways in the survival of spiral ganglion neurons after noise exposure and during aging should be revealed.
糖皮质激素作为甾体应激激素,具有广泛的生物学功能。合成糖皮质激素常用于治疗多种病理状况,包括内耳疾病;然而,它们在耳蜗中的具体功能尚未完全明确。最近的研究清楚地表明耳蜗中存在糖皮质激素信号通路,并阐明了它们对噪声性听力损失的保护作用。此外,间接证据表明糖皮质激素与螺旋神经节神经元的年龄相关性丧失有关,并且在中枢神经系统的大量研究表明糖皮质激素对神经元功能有深远影响。随着近期药理学和遗传学工具的发展,这些信号通路在噪声暴露后及衰老过程中对螺旋神经节神经元存活的作用应该会被揭示。