Original Article

Development and Prevention of Noise-induced Hearing Loss: The Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants

Abstract

Exposure to industrial, military, and other occupational noises can cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), which poses significant health risks for workers but is also potentially preventable. Currently, there is no effective treatment for NIHL, as mammalian cochlear hair cells cannot regenerate once damaged. Therefore, preventing hair cell death or implementing early therapeutic intervention is essential for preserving hearing function. NIHL is a complex condition that results from multiple pathophysiological changes. Recent studies on cochlear cellular structures have revealed promising strategies for NIHL prevention through the development of protective pharmacological agents. Reduced cochlear blood flow, inflammation, and oxidative stress are recognized as key mechanisms contributing to NIHL, with oxidative stress playing a particularly critical role. This research aimed to investigate the link between oxidative stress and the onset of NIHL, as well as to explore the potential of endogenous and exogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms in its prevention.

1. Mohamed M. A study of noise pollution and impact on human health. Int J Multidiscip Curr Res. 2021;9:610–4.
2. Kacem I, Kahloul M, Maoua M, Hafsia M, Brahem A, Limam M, et al. Occupational noise exposure and diabetes risk. J Environ Public Health. 2021;2021:1804616.
3. Zhvania M, Gogokhia N, Tizabi Y, Japaridze N, Pochkidze N, Lomidze N, et al. Behavioral and neuroanatomical effects on exposure to white noise in rats. Brain Res. 2020;728:134898.
4. Bahaloo M, Rezvani ME, Yazd EF, Mehrjerdi FZ, Davari MH, Roohbakhsh A, et al. Effect of myricetin on the gene expressions of NOX3, TGF-β1, prestin, and HSP-70 and anti-oxidant activity in the cochlea of noise-exposed rats. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2020;23(5):594–600.
5. Goodarzi Z, Karami E, Faridan M, Rashidy-Pour A, Mohammadi M, Akbari M, et al. Combined effects of exposure to silver nanoparticles and noise on hearing function and cochlea structure of male rats. Life Sci. 2022;304:120724.
6. Park JS, Jou I, Park SM. Attenuation of noise-induced hearing loss using methylene blue. Cell Death Dis. 2014;5(4):e1200.
7. Neitzel RL, Fligor BJ. Risk of noise-induced hearing loss due to recreational sound: review and recommendations. J Acoust Soc Am. 2019;146(5):3911.
8. Fetoni AR, Eramo SLM, Paciello F, Rolesi R, Troiani D, Paludetti G. Role of antioxidant supplementation in preventing noise-induced hearing loss. Hear Balance Commun. 2015;13(4):160–5.
9. Fetoni AR, Paciello F, Rolesi R, Paludetti G, Troiani D. Targeting dysregulation of redox homeostasis in noise-induced hearing loss: oxidative stress and ROS signaling. Free Radic Biol Med. 2019;135:46–59.
10. Zhou J, Shi Z, Zhou L, Hu Y, Zhang M. Occupational noise-induced hearing loss in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2020;10(9):e039576.
11. Mousavi SM, Abbasi M, Yazdanirad S, Yazdanirad M, Khatooni E. Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS method as a technique for prioritizing noise control solutions. Noise Control Eng J. 2019;67(6):415–21.
12. Etemadinezhad S, Sammak Amani A, Moosazadeh M, Rahimlou M, Samaei SE. Occupational noise-induced hearing loss in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Iran J Public Health. 2023;52(2):278–89.
13. Chen KH, Su SB, Chen KT. An overview of occupational noise-induced hearing loss among workers: epidemiology, pathogenesis, and preventive measures. Environ Health Prev Med. 2020;25(1):65.
14. Rosati R, Jamesdaniel S. Environmental exposures and hearing loss. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(13):4875.
15. Sundar PS, Chowdhury C, Kamarthi S. Evaluation of human ear anatomy and functionality by axiomatic design. Biomimetics (Basel). 2021;6(2):34.
16. Ni G, Elliott SJ, Ayat M, Teal PD. Modelling cochlear mechanics. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:150637.
17. Elliott SJ, Ni G. An elemental approach to modelling the mechanics of the cochlea. Hear Res. 2018;360:14–24.
18. Pickles J. An introduction to the physiology of hearing. Leiden: Brill; 2012.
19. Zhang LW, Cang XH, Chen Y, Guan MX. In vitro culture of mammalian inner ear hair cells. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2019;20(2):170–9.
20. White HJ, Helwany M, Biknevicius AR, Peterson DC. Anatomy, head and neck, ear organ of Corti. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023.
21. Ceylan SM, Uysal E, Altinay S, Sezgin E, Bilal N, Petekkaya E, et al. Protective and therapeutic effects of milrinone on acoustic trauma in rat cochlea. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2019;276(7):1921–31.
22. Ji L, Lee HJ, Wan G, Wang GP, Zhang L, Sajjakulnukit P, et al. Auditory metabolomics, an approach to identify acute molecular effects of noise trauma. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):9273.
23. Gedik Ö, Doğan R, Babademez MA, Karataş E, Aydın M, Koçyiğit A, et al. Therapeutic effects of metformin for noise induced hearing loss. Am J Otolaryngol. 2020;41(1):102328.
24. Ding T, Yan A, Liu K. What is noise-induced hearing loss? Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2019;80(9):525–9.
25. Alvarado JC, Fuentes-Santamaría V, Melgar-Rojas P, Gabaldón-Ull MC, Cabanes-Sanchis JJ, Juiz JM. Oral antioxidant vitamins and magnesium limit noise-induced hearing loss by promoting sensory hair cell survival: role of antioxidant enzymes and apoptosis genes. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020;9(12):1301.
26. Zhao RZ, Jiang S, Zhang L, Yu ZB. Mitochondrial electron transport chain, ROS generation and uncoupling (Review). Int J Mol Med. 2019;44(1):3–15.
27. Tuerdi A, Kinoshita M, Kamogashira T, Fujimoto C, Iwasaki S, Shimizu T, et al. Manganese superoxide dismutase influences the extent of noise-induced hearing loss in mice. Neurosci Lett. 2017;642:123–8.
28. Pizzino G, Irrera N, Cucinotta M, Pallio G, Mannino F, Arcoraci V, et al. Oxidative stress: harms and benefits for human health. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:8416763.
29. Zhao H, Zhang R, Yan X, Fan K. Superoxide dismutase nanozymes: an emerging star for anti-oxidation. J Mater Chem B. 2021;9(35):6939–57.
30. Zhang Y, Neng L, Sharma K, Hou Z, Johnson A, Song J, et al. Pericytes control vascular stability and auditory spiral ganglion neuron survival. Elife. 2023;12:e83486.
31. Talaska AE, Schacht J. Mechanisms of noise damage to the cochlea. Audiol Med. 2007;5(1):3–9.
32. Le Prell CG, Yamashita D, Minami SB, Yamasoba T, Miller JM. Mechanisms of noise-induced hearing loss indicate multiple methods of prevention. Hear Res. 2007;226(1–2):22–43.
33. Henderson D, Bielefeld EC, Harris KC, Hu BH. The role of oxidative stress in noise-induced hearing loss. Ear Hear. 2006;27(1):1–19.
34. Mao H, Chen Y. Noise-induced hearing loss: updates on molecular targets and potential interventions. Neural Plast. 2021;2021:4784385.
35. Armada-Moreira A, Gomes JI, Pina CC, Savchak OK, Gonçalves-Ribeiro J, Rei N, et al. Going the extra (synaptic) mile: excitotoxicity as the road toward neurodegenerative diseases. Front Cell Neurosci. 2020;14:90.
36. Demirel R, Mollaoğlu H, Yeşilyurt H, Üçok K, Ayçiçek A, Akkaya M, et al. Noise induces oxidative stress in rat. Eur J Gen Med. 2009;6(1):20–4.
37. Kurabi A, Keithley EM, Housley GD, Ryan AF, Wong AC. Cellular mechanisms of noise-induced hearing loss. Hear Res. 2017;349:129–37.
38. Li R, Jia Z, Trush MA. Defining ROS in biology and medicine. Reactive Oxygen Species (Apex). 2016;1(1):9–21.
39. Phaniendra A, Jestadi DB, Periyasamy L. Free radicals: properties, sources, targets, and their implication in various diseases. Indian J Clin Biochem. 2015;30(1):11–26.
40. Tavanai E, Mohammadkhani G. Role of antioxidants in prevention of age-related hearing loss: a review of literature. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2017;274(4):1821–34.
41. Sharifi-Rad M, Kumar NV, Zucca P, Varoni EM, Dini L, Panzarini E, et al. Lifestyle, oxidative stress, and antioxidants: back and forth in the pathophysiology of chronic diseases. Front Physiol. 2020;11:694.
42. Su LJ, Zhang JH, Gomez H, Murugan R, Hong X, Xu D, et al. Reactive oxygen species-induced lipid peroxidation in apoptosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2019;2019:5080843.
43. Devasagayam TP, Boloor KK, Ramasarma T. Methods for estimating lipid peroxidation: an analysis of merits and demerits. Indian J Biochem Biophys. 2003;40(5):300–8.
44. Chatterjee N, Walker GC. Mechanisms of DNA damage, repair, and mutagenesis. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2017;58(5):235–63.
45. Birben E, Sahiner UM, Sackesen C, Erzurum S, Kalayci O. Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense. World Allergy Organ J. 2012;5(1):9–19.
46. Kurutas EB. The importance of antioxidants which play the role in cellular response against oxidative/nitrosative stress: current state. Nutr J. 2016;15(1):71.
47. Rosa AC, Corsi D, Cavi N, Bruni N, Dosio F. Superoxide dismutase administration: a review of proposed human uses. Molecules. 2021;26(7):1844.
48. McFadden SL, Ohlemiller KK, Ding D, Shero M, Salvi RJ. The influence of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase deficiencies on noise-induced hearing loss in mice. Noise Health. 2001;3(11):49–64.
49. Curhan SG, Stankovic KM, Eavey RD, Wang M, Stampfer MJ, Curhan GC. Carotenoids, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate and risk of self-reported hearing loss in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;102(5):1167–75.
50. Doosti A, Lotfi Y, Moossavi A, Bakhshi E, Talasaz AH, Hoorzad A. Comparison of the effects of N-acetyl-cysteine and ginseng in prevention of noise-induced hearing loss in male textile workers. Noise Health. 2014;16(71):223–7.
51. Gok U, Halifeoglu I, Canatan H, Yildiz M, Gursu MF, Gur B. Comparative analysis of serum homocysteine, folic acid and vitamin B12 levels in patients with noise-induced hearing loss. Auris Nasus Larynx. 2004;31(1):19–22.
52. Quaranta N, Dicorato A, Matera V, D’Elia A, Quaranta A. The effect of alpha-lipoic acid on temporary threshold shift in humans: a preliminary study. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2012;32(6):380–5.
53. Yeh CW, Tseng LH, Yang CH, Hwang CF. Effects of oral zinc supplementation on patients with noise-induced hearing loss associated tinnitus: a clinical trial. Biomed J. 2019;42(1):46–52.
54. Seidman MD, Tang W, Bai VU, Ahmad N, Jiang H, Media J, et al. Resveratrol decreases noise-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression in the rat cochlea. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013;148(5):827–33.
55. Le Prell CG, Johnson AC, Lindblad AC, Skjönsberg A, Ulfendahl M, Guire K, et al. Increased vitamin plasma levels in Swedish military personnel treated with nutrients prior to automatic weapon training. Noise Health. 2011;13(55):432–43.
56. Loukzadeh Z, Hakimi A, Esmailidehaj M, Mehrparvar AH. Effect of ascorbic acid on noise-induced hearing loss in rats. Iran J Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;27(81):267–72.
57. Wu HP, Hsu CJ, Cheng TJ, Guo YL. N-acetylcysteine attenuates noise-induced permanent hearing loss in diabetic rats. Hear Res. 2010;267(1–2):71–7.
58. Jahani L, Mehrparvar AH, Esmailidehaj M, Rezvani ME, Moghbelolhossein B, Razmjooei Z. The effect of atorvastatin on preventing noise-induced hearing loss: an experimental study. Int J Occup Environ Med. 2016;7(1):15–21.
59. Kennedy CL, Shuster B, Amanipour R, Milon B, Patel P, Elkon R, et al. Metformin protects against noise-induced hearing loss in male mice. Otol Neurotol. 2023;44(9):956–63.
60. Paciello F, Di Pino A, Rolesi R, Troiani D, Paludetti G, Grassi C, et al. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of caffeic acid: in vivo evidences in a model of noise-induced hearing loss. Food Chem Toxicol. 2020;143:111555.
61. Fetoni AR, Paciello F, Rolesi R, Eramo SLM, Mancuso C, Troiani D, et al. Rosmarinic acid up-regulates the noise-activated Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and protects against noise-induced injury in rat cochlea. Free Radic Biol Med. 2015;85:269–81.
62. Paciello F, Fetoni AR, Rolesi R, Wright MB, Grassi C, Troiani D, et al. Pioglitazone represents an effective therapeutic target in preventing oxidative/inflammatory cochlear damage induced by noise exposure. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:1103.
63. Sjostrand AP, Dogan R, Kocyigit A, Karatas E, Budak BB, Ozturan O. Therapeutic efficacy of Ginkgo biloba for early-period noise-induced hearing loss: an experimental animal study. Am J Otolaryngol. 2016;37(5):416–24.
64. Dogan R, Sjostrand AP, Yenıgun A, Karatas E, Kocyigit A, Ozturan O. Influence of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) on expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, HSP-70, HSF-1 and COX-2 after noise exposure in the rat cochlea. Auris Nasus Larynx. 2018;45(4):680–5.
65. Goodarzi Z, Khavanin A, Karami E, Rashidy-Pour A, BeljiKangarlou M, Kiani M, et al. Otoprotective effects of quercetine against oxidative damages induced by simultaneous and independent exposure to noise and silver nanoparticles in rat’s cochlea. Neuroscience. 2023;S0306-4522(23):00412.
66. Samson J, Wiktorek-Smagur A, Politanski P, Rajkowska E, Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska M, Dudarewicz A, et al. Noise-induced time-dependent changes in oxidative stress in the mouse cochlea and attenuation by D-methionine. Neuroscience. 2008;152(1):146–50.
67. Jung SY, Kim SH, Yeo SG. Association of nutritional factors with hearing loss. Nutrients. 2019;11(2):437.
68. Abbasi M, Pourrajab B, Tokhi MO. Protective effects of vitamins/antioxidants on occupational noise-induced hearing loss: a systematic review. J Occup Health. 2021;63(1):e12217.
69. Bai X, Wang M, Niu X, Yu H, Yue JX, Sun Y. Effect of N-acetyl-cysteine treatment on sensorineural hearing loss: a meta-analysis. World J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2022;8(3):205–12.
70. Fetoni AR, Mancuso C, Eramo SL, Ralli M, Piacentini R, Barone E, et al. In vivo protective effect of ferulic acid against noise-induced hearing loss in the guinea-pig. Neuroscience. 2010;169(4):1575–88.
71. Varela-Nieto I, Murillo-Cuesta S, Calvino M, Cediel R, Lassaletta L. Drug development for noise-induced hearing loss. Expert Opin Drug Discov. 2020;15(12):1457–71.
72. Shih CP, Kuo CY, Lin YY, Lin YC, Chen HK, Wang H, et al. Inhibition of cochlear HMGB1 expression attenuates oxidative stress and inflammation in an experimental murine model of noise-induced hearing loss. Cells. 2021;10(4):926.
73. Le TN, Straatman LV, Lea J, Westerberg B. Current insights in noise-induced hearing loss: a literature review of the underlying mechanism, pathophysiology, asymmetry, and management options. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017;46(1):41.
74. Ruan Y, Zhang J, Mai S, Zeng W, Huang L, Gu C, et al. Role of CASP7 polymorphisms in noise-induced hearing loss risk in Han Chinese population. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):1803.
75. Li X, Cao J, Wang J, Song H, Ji G, Dong Q, et al. PON2 and ATP2B2 gene polymorphisms with noise-induced hearing loss. J Thorac Dis. 2016;8(3):430–8.
76. Loukzadeh Z, Sani HE, Sheikhha MH, Ratki FM. Association of GST gene polymorphism and noise-induced hearing loss: GST gene polymorphism and NIHL. AIMS Public Health. 2019;6(4):546–53.
77. Escabi CD, Frye MD, Trevino M, Lobarinas E. The rat animal model for noise-induced hearing loss. J Acoust Soc Am. 2019;146(5):3692.
78. Mahendra Prashanth KV, Venugopalachar S. The possible influence of noise frequency components on the health of exposed industrial workers—a review. Noise Health. 2011;13(50):16–25.
79. Flamme GA, Deiters K, Needham T. Distributions of pure-tone hearing threshold levels among adolescents and adults in the United States by gender, ethnicity, and age: results from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Int J Audiol. 2011;50 Suppl 1:S11–20.
80. Hong O, Lusk SL, Ronis DL. Ethnic differences in predictors of hearing protection behavior between Black and White workers. Res Theory Nurs Pract. 2005;19(1):63–76.
81. Zong S, Zeng X, Liu T, Wan F, Luo P, Xiao H. Association of polymorphisms in heat shock protein 70 genes with the susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss: a meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2017;12(11):e0188195.
82. Lie A, Skogstad M, Johannessen HA, Tynes T, Mehlum IS, Nordby KC, et al. Occupational noise exposure and hearing: a systematic review. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2016;89(3):351–72.
83. Agrawal Y, Platz EA, Niparko JK. Risk factors for hearing loss in US adults: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999 to 2002. Otol Neurotol. 2009;30(2):139–45.
84. Nakhooda F, Sartorius B, Govender SM. The effects of combined exposure of solvents and noise on auditory function—a systematic review and meta-analysis. S Afr J Commun Disord. 2019;66(1):e1–11.
85. Golmohammadi R, Darvishi E. The combined effects of occupational exposure to noise and other risk factors—a systematic review. Noise Health. 2019;21(101):125–41.
Files
IssueVol 15 No 3 (2023) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
Published2025-08-30
Keywords
Noise, Noise-induced hearing loss, Oxidative Stress, Antioxidants

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Rezaei-Hachesu V, Naderyan Fe’li S, Hokmabadi R. Development and Prevention of Noise-induced Hearing Loss: The Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants. Int J Occup Hyg. 2025;15(3):36-43.