Effects of Resveratrol on Acoustic Trauma

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study is to test the ability of resveratrol to protect the auditory system from reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐mediated noise damage. Oxidative stress is mediated by ROS, which are known to cause cellular and molecular damage. Interfering with this process, using ROS inhibitors/scavengers such as antioxidants has shown promise in protecting specific systems from oxidative damage. Among the antioxidants receiving recent attention is resveratrol, an active component in red wine. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING Ten Fischer rats were used for this study. The experimental group (n = 5) received 7 weeks of resveratrol treatment (430/μg/kg/day), by gavage, and the control group (n = 5) received normal saline solution by gavage. Baseline auditory brainstem responses (3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 kHz) were determined for both groups. After 21 days, animals were exposed to noise (105 dB, 4500 to 9000 Hz for 24 hours). Postnoise auditory brainstem responses were assessed at 4 recovery time points: immediate, at 3 days, 7 days, and 4 weeks after noise exposure. RESULTS Results demonstrate that the resveratrol group showed reduced threshold shifts compared with the control group after noise exposure. These shifts were significantly different between groups at 6 and 9 kHz ( P < 0.05), corresponding to the region most represented by the frequency of the traumatic noise. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE Initial studies in our laboratory as well as other investigators have shown the importance of specific antioxidant therapy in the prevention of ischemic, noise, and age related hearing loss. The current study demonstrates a protective effect of resveratrol on noise‐induced hearing loss.