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. 2022 Jun 14;26(4):e712-e717.
doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1745856. eCollection 2022 Oct.

The Induction of Hypothyroidism during Gestation Decreases Outer Hair Cell Motility in Rat Offspring

Priscila Feliciano de Oliveira  1   2   3 , Beatriz Barros Santos Trindade  2 , Paloma Fonseca Martins Reis  2 , Tâmara Figueiredo do Carmo Santos  2 , Julio Cesar Santana Alves  1   4   3 , Demetrius Silva de Santana  3   5 , Daniel Badauê-Passos Jr  3
Affiliations

The Induction of Hypothyroidism during Gestation Decreases Outer Hair Cell Motility in Rat Offspring

Priscila Feliciano de Oliveira et al. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. .

Abstract

Introduction Perinatal hypothyroidism has a negative repercussion on the development and maturation of auditory system function. However, its long-term effect on auditory function remains unsettled. Objective To evaluate the effect of prenatal hypothyroidism on the auditory function of adult offspring in rats. Methods Pregnant Wistar rats were given the antithyroid drug methimazole (0.02% -1-methylimidazole-2-thiol- MMI) in drinking water, ad libitum, from gestational day (GD) 9 to postnatal day 15 (PND15). Anesthetized offspring from MMI-treated dams (OMTD) and control rats were evaluated by tympanometry, distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), and auditory brainstem response (ABR) at PNDs 30, 60, 90, and 120. Results Our data demonstrated no middle ear dysfunction, with the OMTD compliance lower than that of the control group. The DPOAE revealed the absence of outer hair cells function, and the ABR showed normal integrity of neural auditory pathways up to brainstem level in the central nervous system. Furthermore, in the OMTD group, hearing loss was characterized by a higher electrophysiological threshold. Conclusion Our data suggest that perinatal hypothyroidism leads to irreversible damage to cochlear function in offspring.

Keywords: cochlea; congenital hypothyroidism; hearing loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interests The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Effect of experimental congenital hypothyroidism in offspring body weight at PND 30 (n = 18 OWTD/ n=16 OMTD), PND 60 (n = 18 OWTD/ n = 6O MTD), PND 90 (n = 16 OWTD/ n=5 OMTD), PND 120 (n = 15 OWTD/ n=5 OMTD). For analysis, mixed ANOVA followed by the Tukey HSD post hoc test were used. Values are expressed as marginal mean ± SEM. (*) p < 0.05 and (**) p < 0.01 vs. PND30. PND: Post-natal day, OWTD: Offspring from water-treated dams, OMTD: offspring from MMI treated dams.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Effect of experimental congenital hypothyroidism on compliance in offspring at PND 30 (n = 18 OWTD/ n = 16 OMTD), PND 60 (n = 18 OWTD/ n = 6OMTD), PND 90 )n = 16 OWTD/ n = 5 OMTD), PND 120 (n = 15 OWTD/ n = 5 OMTD), as measured by tympanometry. For analysis, mixed ANOVA followed by the Tukey HSD post hoc test were used. Values are expressed as marginal mean ± SEM. (*) p < 0.05 and (**) p < 0.01 vs. PND30. PND: Post-natal day, OWTD: Offspring from water-treated dams, OMTD: offspring from MMI treated dams.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Effect of experimental gestational hypothyroidism on amplitude and 2, 4,6,8,10,12 kHz frequencies in offspring (n = 18 OWTD/ n=6 OMTD) as measured with DPOAE test. For analysis, mixed ANOVA followed by Tukey HSD post hoc test. Values are expressed as marginal mean ± SEM. (***) p < 0.001. PND: post-natal day, OWTD: offspring from water-treated dams, OMTD: offspring from MMI treated dams, DPOAE: distortion product otoacoustic emission, kHz: kilohertz, dBSPL: decibel sound pressure.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Effect of experimental gestational hypothyroidism on incidence of hearing loss in offspring (n = 18 OWTD/ n=6 OMTD) as measured with ABR test. For analysis, mixed ANOVA was used. Values are expressed as marginal mean ± SEM. PND: post-natal day, OWTD: offspring from water-treated dams, OMTD: offspring from MMI treated dams, ABR: auditory brainstem response, dB SPL: decibel sound pressure.
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