Protection against salicylate ototoxicity by zinc.

One day after oral application of 700 mg (5.5 mmol)/kg salicylic acid given as Na salicylate, hearing thresholds in rats, measured by acoustically evoked responses at 10 and 20 kHz, were increased. Salicylate-induced hearing loss was completely prevented by simultaneous s.c. injection of 6 mg (92 mumol)/kg Zn, whereas simultaneous s.c. injection of 1.5 mmol/kg MgCl2 had no effect. Simultaneous s.c. injection of 100 mg (152 mumol)/kg desferrioxamine had only a minor beneficial effect indicating that salicylate-induced Fe accumulation plays no significant role in salicylate ototoxicity.