Abstract
The inner ear organs responsible for hearing (cochlea) and balance (vestibular system) are susceptible to oxidative stress due to the high metabolic demands of their sensorineural cells. Oxidative stress-induced damage to these cells can cause hearing loss or vestibular dysfunction, yet the precise mechanisms remain unclear due to the limitations of animal models and challenges of obtaining living human inner ear tissue. Therefore, we developed an in vitro oxidative stress model of the pre-natal human inner ear using otic progenitor cells (OPCs) derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). OPCs, hiPSCs, and HeLa cells were exposed to hydrogen peroxide or ototoxic drugs (gentamicin and cisplatin) that induce oxidative stress to evaluate subsequent cell viability, cell death, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial activity, and apoptosis (caspase 3/7 activity). Dose-dependent reductions in OPC cell viability were observed post-exposure, demonstrating their vulnerability to oxidative stress. Notably, gentamicin exposure induced ROS production and cell death in OPCs, but not hiPSCs or HeLa cells. This OPC-based human model effectively simulates oxidative stress conditions in the human inner ear and may be useful for modeling the impact of ototoxicity during early pregnancy or evaluating therapies to prevent cytotoxicity.