High Glucose Mediated Apoptosis of Pericytes in the Cochlea Stria Vascularis through Mitochondrial ROS pathway

Abstract

Abstract Diabetes is closely related to hearing loss, but its specific pathogenesis is not clear. Cochlear stria vascularis and pericytes play an important role in hearing. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether high glucose induces apoptosis in the cochlear stria vascularis and pericytes through oxidative stress, thus affecting hearing loss. The model of type Ⅱ diabetes was established in C57BL/6J mice. Compared with the control group, the hearing threshold of diabetic mice decreased continuously, the density of vascular stria decreased, the oxidative stress and apoptosis of various organs increased, and the level of antioxidation decreased. At the same time, after the pericytes were extracted from the stria vascularis and given in high glucose environment, the apoptosis level of pericytes increased, the content of ROS in pericytes increased, and the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased. AIF and cytochrome C in pericyte mitochondria were gradually released to the cytoplasm. On the basis of the intervention of high glucose, the release of mitochondrial AIF and cytochrome C from pericytes was alleviated and the level of pericyte apoptosis decreased by adding oxidative scavengers. It is clear that high glucose can pass through oxidative stress to induce mitochondrial apoptosis in cochlear vascular striated pericytes.