Food hardness influences the progression of age-related hearing loss in mice

Senolytic treatment alleviates cochlear senescence and delays age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6J mice

BACKGROUND

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a prevalent sensory deficit that significantly affects quality of life in older individuals. Cellular senescence contributes to various age-related degenerative disorders. However, its effect on ARHL remains unclear.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to explore the therapeutic potential of senolytics in attenuating cochlear senescence and delaying the progression of ARHL.

METHODS

The senolytic drugs dasatinib and quercetin (D + Q) were used to target senescent cells at different stages of ARHL in C57BL/6J mice. The impact of D + Q treatment on ARHL progression and cochlear degeneration was also assessed. Additionally, the protective effects of D + Q treatment were evaluated in HEI-OC1 auditory cells and cochlear explants. Transcriptomic analysis was conducted on cochlear explants subjected to different treatments.

RESULTS

D + Q treatment at an early stage of ARHL significantly delayed ARHL progression and alleviated cochlear degeneration in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Treatment of mice with normal hearing also mitigated age-related hair cell loss. In HEI-OC1 auditory cells, D + Q treatment exerted protective effects by alleviating the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Transcriptomic analysis of cochlear explants revealed that downregulation of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines was involved in the beneficial effects of D + Q treatment against cellular senescence. Mechanistically, D + Q treatment alleviated hair cell senescence via binding to NF-κB and inhibiting its activity.

CONCLUSION

Senolytics may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for attenuating cochlear senescence and slowing the progression of ARHL.

Garland chrysanthemum consumption ameliorates age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6 mouse; model system to explore hearing loss prevention foods in a short period

Garland chrysanthemum (Glebionis coronaria L.) is an antioxidant-rich leafy vegetable. We found that garland chrysanthemum consumption ameliorated age-related hearing loss (AHL) in C57BL/6J mice, an early onset model. We also found that AHL progression was significantly ameliorated by three of ten products. Metabolome analysis of the 10 products using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy indicated that phytosterols may be involved in the amelioration of AHL. However, the direct inhibitory effect of phytosterol mixture on mouse AHL progression was not identified. These results suggest that garland chrysanthemum consumption delays AHL development in mice and its efficiency varies depending on the source of product. Our findings also suggest that phytosterol content in garland chrysanthemum function as an evaluation marker for the efficiency. Furthermore, to accelerate the search for foods that prevent AHL, we have used these data to develop an automatic threshold determination method for auditory brainstem response using machine learning.