Attempts to prevent hearing impairment by antioxidant and immunostimulatory effects of functional foods

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K09696
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 56050:Otorhinolaryngology-related
• Research Institution: Fukushima Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Ogawa Hiroshi 福島県立医科大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 教授 (70264554)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 錫谷 達夫 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (40196895)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 老人性難聴 / 難聴予防 / 機能性食品 / 抗酸化作用 / 腸内細菌叢

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We analyzed the effects of functional foods on hearing impairment using mice. We evaluated whether Lactococcus lactis 1119B1, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus, and Bifidobacterium lactis can prevent age-related hearing loss in mice. We believe that the four killed lactic acid bacteria used in this study have no effect in preventing the onset of age-related hearing loss. However, since a mitigating effect was confirmed in ABR and cochlear tissue, it is expected that viable bacteria can be expected to prevent the onset of presbycusis by adding an immunostimulatory effect

Free Research Field

耳科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

高齢化社会において聴覚障害は社会活動の低下を招く大きな要因の一つであり、その予防法、対策方法が求められている。われわれが今回行った食品による聴覚障害予防効果とその作用機序を抗酸化、免疫賦活化、腸内細菌叢改善などの視点から解析し、老人性難聴の病態生理の解明ならびに予防法を提案することは老人性難聴の新たな予防法の開発につながり、難聴に伴う社会活動低下を軽減できる点で大きく貢献できるものと考えられる。