Circulating Serum miRNA-205 as a Diagnostic Biomarker for Ototoxicity in Mice Treated with Aminoglycoside Antibiotics.

In the mouse model for ototoxicity, the serum levels of circulating miR-205 peaked on day 3 and were sustained from days 7⁻14. Furthermore, miR-205 expression was highly expressed in the organ of Corti at day 5, continued to be expressed in the modiolus at high levels until day 14, and was finally also in the stria vascularis. The serum miR-205 in the AKI mice did not change significantly compared to the normal group. Conclusions Circulating miR-205 from the cochlea, after ototoxic damage, migrates through the blood vessels to organs, which is then finally found in blood. In conditions of hearing impairment with ototoxic medications, detection of circulating miR-205 in the blood can be used to determine the extent of hearing loss. In the future, inner ear damage can be identified by simply performing a blood test before the hearing impairment due to ototoxic drugs.