[Comment] Ethical considerations in noise-induced hearing loss research

Animal studies have shown that glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) is highly expressed in the sensory epithelium of the inner ear, and a targeted mutation of the gene for Gpx1 was found to increase noise-induced hearing loss in mice.1 Based on these observations and given the overlapping role of oxidative stress and cellular injury in noise-induced hearing loss, Jonathan Kil and colleagues2 examined the prophylactic benefits of the administration of ebselen, a GPx1 mimic, in a randomised trial of 83 participants who were exposed to 4 h of standardised sound calibrated to cause a temporary elevation of hearing thresholds, the results of which are published in The Lancet.
Source: LANCET - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Comment Source Type: research