The Role of Curcuminoid in Preventing and Repairing Damage to the Organ of Corti in Rattus norvegicus Diabetes Mellitus Model as Assessed by DPOAE Examination with Plasma Levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A

Introduction  Cells in diabetes mellitus (DM) respond to low oxygen by increasing hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), which impacts vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Although curcuminoids show therapeutic promise, no validated options are available to repair organ of Corti damage caused by DM.

Objective  The present study aims to evaluate the effects of curcuminoid administration on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and plasma levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A in a DM model using Rattus norvegicus.

Methods  An in vivo experimental design was employed with a double-blind control set up. Twenty-five male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: group 1 (DM without curcuminoids), groups 2 and 3 (DM with curcuminoids at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight for 10 days), and groups 4 and 5 (DM with curcuminoids at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight for 13 days). Diabetes mellitus was induced through an intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (150 mg/kg body weight). Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) tests were performed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure plasma levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A.

Results  Significant differences were observed in SNR values, HIF-1α, and VEGF-A (p < 0.05). A significant correlation was found between SNR and HIF-1α (r = −0.553; p = 0.004) and VEGF-A (r = −0.564; p = 0.003), indicating that lower levels of these factors were associated with higher SNR.

Conclusion  Curcuminoids can prevent and treat outer hair cell damage in the organ of Corti due to DM, as shown by improvements in plasma HIF-1α, VEGF-A levels, and SNR values.

Keywords
curcuminoid; HIF-1α; otoacoustic emission; SNR; VEGF-A