Lycium barbarum Polysaccharides Attenuate Cisplatin-Induced Hair Cell Loss in Rat Cochlear Organotypic Cultures

Quan Liu,Dehui Wang,Yanqing Li,Li Hu

doi:10.3390/ijms12128982

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on cisplatin-induced hair cell damage in the organ of Corti explant. The neonatal (P2–3) rat organ of Corti explant was exposed to cisplatin (20 μM; 48 h) with or without LBP pretreatment (150 and 600 μg/mL; 24 h). Hair cell loss was indicated by FITC-labeled phalloidin staining. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) in hair cells were analyzed using fluorescent probes 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and JC-1, respectively. The results showed that LBP significantly attenuated hair cell loss (p < 0.01). Hair cells pretreated with LBP showed significant reduction in ROS production and the decline of ΔΨm compared with cisplatin alone group (p < 0.01), indicating the protective effect of LBP on cisplatin-induced hair cell loss. Taken together, these results indicate that LBP was effective in attenuating cisplatin-induced hair cell loss by reducing the production of ROS and maintaining mitochondrial ΔΨm.

Highlights

Cisplatin, an anti-neoplastic agent, has been widely used to treat a broad spectrum of malignant tumors; the administration of cisplatin is limited by its side effects, including ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity [1,2,3]
Our previous experiment demonstrated that exposure to L. barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) (600 μg/mL) for 72 h had no damage on hair cells (Figure 1B)
Cisplatin exposure for 48 h resulted in substantial loss of outer hair cells (OHCs) and inner hair cells (IHCs) compared with the control group (p < 0.01; Figure 1C)

Summary

Introduction

An anti-neoplastic agent, has been widely used to treat a broad spectrum of malignant tumors; the administration of cisplatin is limited by its side effects, including ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity [1,2,3]. The increased ROS caused by cisplatin can induce apoptosis in the cochlear hair cells as well as in the neurons of the spiral ganglion. Some in vitro and in vivo studies reported the protective effect of antioxidants against cisplatin-induced hair cell death [6,7]. Cheng et al [14] reported that L. barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) significantly ameliorated liver injury, prevented the progression of alcohol-induced fatty liver and improved the antioxidant functions in liver. Some studies suggested that the administration of antioxidants, including cisplatin, protects against hearing loss caused by noise and drugs [16,17]

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Conclusion