D-Galactose and Hypoxia Induce the Early Onset of Age-Related Hearing Loss Deterioration in a Mouse Model

• Published in: Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine Vol. 20; no. 5; p. 779
• Main Authors: Batsaikhan, Temuulen, Choi, Jin Sil, Ha, Sun Mok, Ahn, Yeji, Seo, Young Joon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) 01.08.2023
• Subjects: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Galactose - adverse effects; Hypoxia; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Presbycusis - chemically induced; Presbycusis - genetics; Presbycusis - metabolism; Superoxide Dismutase; Hypoxia; Reactive oxygen species; D-galactose; Presbycusis
• ISSN: 2212-5469
• DOI: 10.1007/s13770-023-00547-8

We previously showed that aging accelerates after 3 months of exposure to hypoxia and environmental change but not genetic modifications. Here, we aimed to simply induce early-onset age-related hearing loss within a short period based on our previous method. We randomly divided 16 C57BL/6 mice into four groups that were maintained under conditions of normoxia and hypoxia with or without injected D-galactose for 2 months. Deteriorated hearing, the expression of age-related factors, and oxidative stress responses were detected using the click and tone burst auditory brainstem response test, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and by measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD). The group maintained under hypoxia combined with D-galactose lost hearing particularly at 24 Hz and 32 Hz at 6 weeks compared with the other groups. Aging-related factors were also significantly decreased in the hypoxia and D-galactose groups. However, SOD levels did not significantly differ among the groups. Age-related hearing loss is an environmental disorder induced by chronic oxidative stress associated with genetic backgrounds. Our findings suggested that D-galactose and hypoxia can induce the phenotypes of age-related hearing loss and aging-associated molecules in a murine model within a short time with environmental stimulation alone.