Pharmacologic treatment of inner ear: from basic science to the XXXX .

@entity1 @entity900 @entity2319 @entity1274 @entity389 @entity393 @entity528
Most of the @entity2319 are of sensorineural origin and are characterized by a loss of hair cells and of @entity528 . At the present time, hearing aids are the only treatment. However, in some diseases of the inner ear, pharmacological treatment have been proposed and used successfully. In this paper, we will review some basic science aspects of the biology of the neurosensory structures of the inner ear, in particular of the auditory neurons, that lead to the rationale of some treatments for the @entity389 . Developmental studies, neuronal cell culture experiments, and analyses of gene knockout animals reveal a number of growth factors which are important for the rescue and repair of injured auditory neurons in the inner ear. These factors rescue the injured auditory neurons in vivo. Furthermore, perfusion of antioxydant to the cochlea prevented the @entity393 induced by @entity900 . These in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that it is possible to manipulate the neurosensory structures of the inner ear and provide an effective treatment to prevent the degeneration of the neurons. The molecules or drugs can be administered locally to the inner ear through a direct perilymphatic perfusion or through the round window membrane. As an example, we will discuss the treatment of @entity1 suffering from idiopathic @entity1274 which can be treated successfully by a perfusion through the round window membrane, improving their hearing threshold and their speech discrimination.
