Photobiomodulation Can Enhance Stem Cell Viability in Cochlea with Auditory Neuropathy but Does Not Restore Hearing

Sensorineural hearing loss is very difficult to treat. Currently, one of the techniques used for hearing rehabilitation is a cochlear implant that can transform sound into electrical signals instead of inner ear hair cells. However, the prognosis remains very poor if sufficient auditory nerve cells...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Stem cells international 2023-11, Vol.2023, p.1-14
Main Authors: Chang, So-Young, Kim, Eunjeong, Carpena, Nathaniel T., Lee, Jae-Hun, Kim, Doo Hee, Lee, Min Young
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Animal models
Auditory nerve
Auditory system
Brain stem
Cell proliferation
Cell viability
Cochlea
Cochlear implants
Combined treatment
Ears & hearing
Embryo cells
Embryonic stem cells
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
Explants
Functional testing
Hair cells
Hearing
Hearing loss
Hearing protection
Inner ear
Investigations
Kanamycin
Light
Light therapy
Malignancy
Medical research
Medical screening
Nerves
Neurodegeneration
Neurons
Neuropathy
Recovery of function
Stem cells
Surgery
Transplantation
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Sensorineural hearing loss is very difficult to treat. Currently, one of the techniques used for hearing rehabilitation is a cochlear implant that can transform sound into electrical signals instead of inner ear hair cells. However, the prognosis remains very poor if sufficient auditory nerve cells are not secured. In this study, the effect of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) and photobiomodulation (PBM) combined treatment on auditory function and auditory nerve cells in a secondary neuropathy animal model was investigated. To confirm the engraftment of stem cells in vitro, cochlear explants were treated with kanamycin (KM) to mimic nerve damage and then cocultured with GFP-mESC. GFP-mESCs were observed to have attached and integrated into the explanted samples. An animal model for secondary neurodegeneration was achieved by KM treatment and was treated by a combination therapy of GFP-mESC and NIR-PBM at 8 weeks of KM treatment. Hearing recovery by functional testing using auditory brain stem response (ABR) and eABR was measured as well as morphological changes and epifluorescence analysis were conducted after 2 weeks of combination therapy. KM treatment elevated the hearing threshold at 70–80 dB and even after the combination treatment with GFP-mESC and PBM was applied, the auditory function was not restored. In addition, the stem cells transplanted into cochlea has exponentially increased due to PBM treatment although did not produce any malignancy. This study confirmed that the combined treatment with mESC and PBM could not improve hearing or increase the response of the auditory nerve. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy in this study that the cells are distributed in most cochlear tissues and the proliferation of stem cells was very active in animals irradiated with PBM compared to other groups wherein the stem cells had disappeared immediately after transplantation or existed for only a short period of time.
ISSN:1687-966X
1687-9678
1687-9678
DOI:10.1155/2023/6845571