Regenerative Therapy Approaches and Encountered Problems in Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Abstract

Hearing loss is one of the most important public health matters worldwide, which severely affects the social, psychological, and cognitive development of people. The perception of sound, movement, and balance in vertebrates depends on a special sensory organ called the cochlea, which contains hair cells and supporting cells in the inner ear. Genetic factors, epigenetic, use of ototoxic drugs (some antibiotics, and chemotherapeutics), noise, infections, or even just aging can cause loss of hair cells and their related primary neurons, leading to sensorineural hearing loss. Although sensorineural hearing loss, also known as permanent hearing loss, is treated with hearing aids and cochlear implants, treatment methods are limited. Since even the best implant ever developed cannot exhibit the characteristics of the original ear, the permanent sensory deficit will be permanent. For this reason, it has become important to develop regenerative treatment methods to regenerate and replace lost or damaged hair cells and neurons. Develops in stem cell technology have led to promising studies in the regeneration of damaged/lost hair cells or neurons with endogenous or exogenous cell-based therapies. Thanks to epigenetic mechanisms, it can turn hearing-related genes on and off and determine which proteins to copy. In addition, thanks to gene silencing, gene replacement, and CRISPR/CAS9 technology, gene therapy methods have accelerated and studies have been carried out to treat dominant and recessive mutations that cause genetic-induced hearing loss or to increase hair cell regeneration. In this paper, potential gene therapy and stem cell applications in the acquisition of cochlear function, which causes sensorineural hearing loss, and the difficulties encountered in these applications are compiled from a bioengineering perspective.

Research progress on the treatment and nursing of sensorineural hearing loss

“…Therefore, research on its pathogenesis and mechanisms is still very necessary. From a molecular perspective, SNHL may involve a range of factors such as gene mutations, epigenetic changes, and protein abnormalities ( Miguel et al, 2018 ; Jabbari Moghadam et al, 2023 ; Kelleci and Golebetmaz, 2023 ). Some gene mutations may lead to abnormal or disrupted function of the auditory nerve, leading to the occurrence of SNHL.…”