Abstract
Glycosphingolipids are molecules present on the surface of normal nerve cells and are considered antigenic. Recent studies have isolated these antigens in vestibular neuroepithelia, cochleovestibular nerves and the endolymphatic sac. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of antibodies against the glycosphingolipid antigen, sulfoglucuronyl paragloboside (SGPG), in the sera of patients suspected of autoimmune inner ear disease. The sera of a total 41 patients, including cases of progressive sensorineural hearing loss (PSNHL) (n= 19), sudden deafness (SD) (n = 8), Ménière's disease (n = 9), mumps hearing loss (n = 5), were tested for antibodies against the SGPG antigen. Antibody titers were determined by the microtiter ELISA method. Antibody titers were elevated in 36.8% of patients with PSNHL,25.0% of sudden deafness patients, while no elevation was observed in Mniere' s disease patients and mumps patients. Because SGPG antigens have been recently isolated in the inner ear, especially in the cochleovestibular nerve, these structures can potentially become targets for anti-SGPG antibodies.
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