Promising Applications of Nanoparticles in the Treatment of Hearing Loss

Zilin Huang; Qiang Xie; Shuang Li; Yuhao Zhou; Zuhong He; Kun Lin; Minlan Yang; Peng Song; Xiong Chen

doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.750185

Promising Applications of Nanoparticles in the Treatment of Hearing Loss

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Oct 7:9:750185. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.750185. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Zilin Huang^{1

2}, Qiang Xie^{1

2}, Shuang Li^{1

2}, Yuhao Zhou^{1

2}, Zuhong He^{1

2}, Kun Lin^{1

2}, Minlan Yang^{1

2}, Peng Song^{1

2}, Xiong Chen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
² Sleep Medicine Center, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.

Abstract

Hearing loss is one of the most common disabilities affecting both children and adults worldwide. However, traditional treatment of hearing loss has some limitations, particularly in terms of drug delivery system as well as diagnosis of ear imaging. The blood-labyrinth barrier (BLB), the barrier between the vasculature and fluids of the inner ear, restricts entry of most blood-borne compounds into inner ear tissues. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been demonstrated to have high biocompatibility, good degradation, and simple synthesis in the process of diagnosis and treatment, which are promising for medical applications in hearing loss. Although previous studies have shown that NPs have promising applications in the field of inner ear diseases, there is still a gap between biological research and clinical application. In this paper, we aim to summarize developments and challenges of NPs in diagnostics and treatment of hearing loss in recent years. This review may be useful to raise otology researchers' awareness of effect of NPs on hearing diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: cochlear implant; drug delivery system; hair cells; hearing loss; imaging; nanomaterials.

Publication types

Review