Summary
The inner ear of spontaneously diabetic WBN/Kob rats was functionally and morphologically examined in order to elucidate the relationship between diabetes mellitus and hearing impairment. At 3 months of age, WBN/Kob rats were non-diabetic, and their hearing function was normal. At 6–7 months of age, they showed decreased glucose tolerance and an increasing tendency toward urinary excretion of glucose without high plasma concentration of glucose, and were therefore judged to be pre-diabetic. They also displayed a significant elevation of hearing threshold in the auditory brainstem response, but showed little morphological and histochemical changes in the inner ear. At 12–13 months of age, they were spontaneously diabetic and showed a more apparent elevation of hearing threshold in auditory brainstem response than that in pre-diabetic animals. In addition, they displayed a marked decrease in the number of spiral ganglion cells and oedematous changes in the stria vascularis. The stria vascularis also showed a decrease in the intensity of staining with some lectins, i. e., wheat germ agglutinin, succinylated wheat germ agglutinin, Soranum tuberosum lectin, and concanavalin A. In conclusion, hearing impairment is induced by diabetes in the WBN/ Kob rats first as an elevation of hearing threshold along with glucose intolerance; secondly, as a decrease in the number of spiral ganglion cells; and thirdly, as oedematous change of the stria vascularis with decreased intensity of lectin staining.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- ABR:
-
Auditory brainstem response
- WGA:
-
wheat germ agglutinin
- sWGA:
-
succinylated wheat germagglutinin
- STL:
-
Soranum tuberosum lectin
- BSL-II:
-
Bandeiraea simplicifolia lectin-II
- VVA:
-
Vicia villosa agglutinin
- ConA:
-
concanavalin A
- PHA-E:
-
Phaseolus vulgaris erythroagglutinin
- PHA-L:
-
Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin
- ABC:
-
Vectastain avidin-biotin complex
References
Jorgensen MB (1961) The inner ear in diabetes mellitus. Arch Otolaryngol 74: 373–381
Jorgensen MB, Buch NH (1961) Studies on inner-ear function and cranial nerves in diabetics. Acta Oto-Laryngol 53: 350–364
Makishima K, Tanaka K (1971) Pathological changes of the inner ear and central auditory pathway in diabetics. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 80: 218–228
Kovar M (1973) The inner ear in diabetes mellitus. Otol Rhinol Laryngol 35: 42–51
Friedman SA, Schulman RH, Weiss S (1975) Hearing and diabetic neuropathy. Arch Intern Med 135: 573–576
Gibben KP, Davis CG (1981) A hearing survey in diabetes mellitus. Clin Otolaryngol 6: 345–350
Harner SG (1981) Hearing in adult-onset diabetes mellitus. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 89: 322–327
Ferrer JP, Biurrun O, Lorente J et al. (1991) Auditory function in young patients with type I diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 11: 17–22
Costa OA (1967) Inner ear pathology in experimental diabetes. Laryngoscope 77: 68–75
Oliveira CA, Kruse C, Juhn SK (1977) Cochlea vascular changes in streptozotocin diabetes in chinchillas. Otol Rhinol Laryngol 84: 443–451
Buller N, Laurian N, Shvili I, Laurian L (1986) Delayed brainstem auditory evoked responses in experimental diabetes mellitus. J Laryngol Otol 100: 883–891
Triana RJ, Suits GW, Garrison S et al. (1991) Inner ear damage secondary to diabetes mellitus. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 117: 635–640
Rubini R, Biasiolo F, Fogarolo F, Magnavita V, Martini A, Fiori MG (1992) Brainstem auditory evoked potentials in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 16: 19–25
Kobori O, Gedigk O, Totovic V (1977) Adenomatous changes and adenocarcinoma of glandular stomach in Wistar rats induced by N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanide. An electron microscopic and histochemical study. Virchows Archiv A 373: 37–54
Nakama K, Shichinohe K, Kobayashi K et al. (1985) Spontaneous diabetes-like syndrome in WBN/Kob rats. Acta Diabetol Lat 22: 335–342
Tsuchitani M, Saegusa T, Narama I, Nishikawa T, Gonda T (1985) A new diabetic strain of rat (WBM/Kob). Lab Anim 19: 200–207
Mori Y, Yokoyama J, Nishimura M, Ikeda Y (1988) A new diabetic strain of rat with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. In: Shafrir E, Renold AE (eds) Frontiers in Diabetes Research, Lessons from Animal Diabetes II. John Libbey, London, pp 324–326
Mori Y, Yokoyama J, Nishimura M, Kurata H, Miura J, Ikeda Y (1990) Diabetic strain (WBN/Kob) of rat characterized by endocrine-exocrine pancreatic impairment due to distinct fibrosis. Pancreas 5: 452–459
Ohashi K, Kim J, Hara H, Aso R, Akimoto T, Nakama K (1990) WBN/Kob rats. A new spontaneously occurring model of chronic pancreatitis. Int J Pancreatol 6: 231–247
Mori Y, Yokoyama J, Nishimura M, Oka H, Mochino S, Ikeda Y (1992) Development of diabetic complications in a new diabetic strain of rat (WBN/Kob). Pancreas 7: 569–577
Yagihashi S, Wada R, Kamijo M, Nagai K (1993) Peripheral neuropathy in the WBN/Kob rat with chronic pancreatitis and spontaneous diabetes. Lab Invest 68: 296–307
Bobbin RP, May JG, Lemoine RL (1979) Effects of pentobarbital and ketamine on brain stem auditory potentials. Arch Otolaryngol 105: 467–470
Shapiro SM, Moller AR, Shiu GK (1984) Brain-stem auditory evoked potentials in rats with high-dose pentobarbital. Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol 58: 266–276
Gold MC, Sohmer H, Horowitz M, Shahar A (1985) Effects of body temperature evolution on auditory nerve-brain-stem evoked responses and EEGs in rats. Electroenceph Clin Neurophysiol 60: 146–153
Burkard R, Feldman M, Voigt HF (1990) Brainstem auditory-evoked response in the rat. Normative studies, with observations concerning the effects of ossicular disruption. Audiology 29: 146–162
Plank J, Rychlo A (1952) Eine Schnellentkalkungsmethode. Zentralbl path Anat 89: 252–254
Taniguchi K, Nii Y, Ogawa K (1993) Subdivisions of the accessory olfactory bulb, as demonstrated by lectin-histochemistry in the golden hamster. Neurosci Lett 158: 185–188
Quick CA, Hoppe W (1975) Permanent deafness associated with furosemide administration. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 84: 94–101
Forge A (1976) Observations on the stria vascularis of the guinea pig and the changes resulting from the administration of the diuretic furosemide. Clin Otolaryngol 1: 211–219
Forge A, Brown AM (1982) Ultrastructural and electrophysiological studies of acute ototoxic effects of furosemide. Br J Audiol 16: 109–116
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ishikawa, T., Naito, Y. & Taniguchi, K. Hearing impairment in WBN/Kob rats with spontaneous diabetes mellitus. Diabetologia 38, 649–655 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00401834
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00401834