Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jul 28;22(15):8111. doi: 10.3390/ijms22158111.
The triad of noise-generated, drug-induced, and age-related hearing loss is the major cause of acquired sensorineural hearing loss (ASNHL) in modern society. Although these three forms of hearing loss display similar underlying mechanisms, detailed studies have revealed the presence of sex differences in the auditory system both in human and animal models of ASNHL. However, the sexual dimorphism of hearing varies among noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), ototoxicity, and age-related hearing loss (ARHL). Importantly, estrogen may play an essential role in modulating the pathophysiological mechanisms in the cochlea and several reports have shown that the effects of hormone replacement therapy on hearing loss are complex. This review will summarize the clinical features of sex differences in ASNHL, compare the animal investigations of cochlear sexual dimorphism in response to the three insults, and address how estrogen affects the auditory organ at molecular levels.
噪声性、药物性和年龄相关性听力损失这三重奏是现代社会获得性感觉神经性听力损失（ASNHL）的主要原因。尽管这三种听力损失表现出相似的潜在机制，但详细的研究在 ASNHL 的人类和动物模型中都揭示了听觉系统存在性别差异。然而，噪声性听力损失（NIHL）、耳毒性和年龄相关性听力损失（ARHL）之间的听力性别二态性存在差异。重要的是，雌激素可能在调节耳蜗中的病理生理机制中发挥重要作用，并且有几项报告表明激素替代疗法对听力损失的影响是复杂的。本综述将总结 ASNHL 中性别差异的临床特征，比较三种损伤下耳蜗性别二态性的动物研究，并探讨雌激素如何在分子水平上影响听觉器官。
