Garlic derivatives to protect against antibiotic-induced hearing loss
Research
Researchers from several training and research hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey have found that derivatives of garlic seem to attenuate aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss in an animal model.
Use of this class of antibiotics is limited by the commonly reported ototoxic effects. The team of researchers therefore aimed to assess whether garlic derivatives, with well-characterized intrinsic antioxidant activities, may prove beneficial in preventing this drug-related ototoxicity. They assessed the derivatives S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), diallyl disulfide (DD), and S-allylcysteine (SAC) on the ototoxicity induced by gentamicin in rats. Their main assessment tool was measurements by brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA).
The study examined thirty male Wistar rats randomly assigned to five different groups: gentamicin injection with SAMC treatment (Genta-w SAMC), DD treatment (Genta-w DD), or SAC treatment (Genta-w SAC), gentamicin injection without active compounds (Genta-w/o AC), and a control group. Gentamicin was administered at 120 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally once daily for 25 days to all groups, except the control. After this period, hearing thresholds and mean amplitudes of thresholds were measured.
The differences between every active compound group and Genta-w/o AC were statistically significant, suggesting that the substances attenuated drug-induced hearing loss. The results of the study were published in the journal Clinical and experimental otorhinolaryngology in early May.
Source: Uzun L, et al. The Effect of Garlic Derivatives (S-Allylmercaptocysteine, Diallyl Disulfide, and S-Allylcysteine) on Gentamicin Induced Ototoxicity: An Experimental Study. Clinical and experimental otorhinolaryngology. 2016 May 2.
