Department of Otolaryngology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
Research Team for Geriatric Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Aug 11;21(16):5764. doi: 10.3390/ijms21165764.
Inner and middle ear disorders are the leading cause of hearing loss, and are said to be among the greatest risk factors of dementia. The use of regenerative medicine for the treatment of inner ear disorders may offer a potential alternative to cochlear implants for hearing recovery. In this paper, we reviewed recent research and clinical applications in middle and inner ear regeneration and cell therapy. Recently, the mechanism of inner ear regeneration has gradually been elucidated. "Inner ear stem cells," which may be considered the precursors of various cells in the inner ear, have been discovered in the cochlea and vestibule. Research indicates that cells such as hair cells, neurons, and spiral ligaments may form promising targets for inner ear regenerative therapies by the transplantation of stem cells, including mesenchymal stem cells. In addition, it is necessary to develop tests for the clinical monitoring of cell transplantation. Real-time imaging techniques and hearing rehabilitation techniques are also being investigated, and cell therapy has found clinical application in cochlear implant techniques.
内耳和中耳疾病是听力损失的主要原因，据称也是痴呆症的最大风险因素之一。再生医学用于治疗内耳疾病，可能为听力恢复提供了一种替代耳蜗植入的潜在方法。本文综述了中耳和内耳再生及细胞治疗的最新研究和临床应用。最近，内耳再生的机制逐渐被阐明。在内耳中，可能被认为是各种内耳细胞前体的“内耳干细胞”已在耳蜗和前庭中被发现。研究表明，通过移植包括间充质干细胞在内的干细胞，毛细胞、神经元和螺旋韧带等细胞可能成为内耳再生治疗的有前途的靶点。此外，有必要开发用于细胞移植临床监测的测试。正在研究实时成像技术和听力康复技术，细胞疗法已在耳蜗植入技术中得到临床应用。
