Audiotoxicosis in newborn guinea pigs from pregnant ones given sisomicin

Aminoglycoside ototoxicity in the chick (Gallus domesticus) inner ear: I. The effects of kanamycin and netilmicin on the basilar papilla

A single dose (100 mg/kg of egg weight) of kanamycin or netilmicin was injected into the yolk sacs of 7-day-old chick (Gallus domesticus) embryos. Embryos were collected every 24 hours and processed for light and transmission electron microscopy. Morphologic study of the medial basilar papilla disclosed that both kanamycin and netilmicin are toxic to the hair cells in this region. Intoxication was manifested by an increased number of dense osmiophilic bodies, swollen mitochondria, agglomerated chromatin, and occasional disorganization of the kinocilium basal bodies. The cytologic changes observed in the hair cells of embryos injected with netilmicin and kanamycin were similar. However, mitochondrial damage was more severe in the chicks after kanamycin than after netilmicin injection. Some of the cytologic alterations described here are comparable to those already reported for aminoglycoside-intoxicated hair cells in several mammalian species. This study and previous work indicate that the chick embryo provides a satisfactory developmental model for testing ototoxicity of drugs in vivo.

Structure side-effect sorting of drugs. VI. Ototoxicities

From a literature survey, over 130 (about 7.8%) drugs and chemicals have been associated with ototoxicities. The major classes are basic aminoglycoside and other antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antimalarials, beta-blockers, antineoplastic agents, heavy metals, diuretics, some topical agents and various miscellaneous drugs. Possible mechanisms of action are presented and discussed. These include inhibition of protein synthesis, the glycolytic cycle, the TCA cycle, energy utilization, energy generation and the respiratory system within the mitochondria membrane of the hair cell, and also alteration of the permeability of the endolymphatic membrane or alteration of the excretion system for the basic aminoglycosides in the lateral wall of the membranous cochlea. The relative rank order of ototoxicity and reactivity toward mucopolysaccharides of five aminoglycosides is found to be related to the number of basic groups in each molecule.