Ferulic acid-mediated protection against neomycin-induced hair cell loss in transgenic zebrafish

Ferulic acid (FA) derivatives have applied in American clinical trials for preventing and treating auditory dysfunctions. However, the effects of FA on neomycin-mediated sensorineural hearing loss are still unknown. We developed a transgenic zebrafish (pvalb3b:TagGFP) expressing green-colored hair cells in the inner ear and lateral line neuromasts by Tol2 system. Then, we determined the effects of FA on neomycin-induced ototoxicity in 4 dpf transgenic larvae. FA conferred significant protection against hair cell loss across a wide range of neomycin concentrations. In addition, FA significantly decreased intracellular ROS production and TUNAL reactions in larvae pretreated with FA prior to neomycin exposure. These findings suggest that FA has antioxidant effects and can attenuate neomycin-induced hair cell death in neuromasts. The green hair cells of transgenic zebrafish lateral line may provide a useful basis on which to investigate the cellular pathways related to the hair cell death and survival imparted by FA.