Compound Danshen Dripping Pills: A potential anti-oxidative drug for the treatment of noise-induced hearing loss in mice

Acoustic damage is a common cause of hearing loss, and excessive oxidative stress has been identified as a key pathology in noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Despite its widespread occurrence, there are currently no effective therapeutic drugs available for the treatment of NIHL. Therefore, antioxidant therapy is widely used for the treatment of NIHL. Compound Danshen Dripping Pills (CDDP) is a traditional medicine with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and microcirculatory improvement properties. However, it remains unknown whether CDDP has a hearing-protective function. In this study, we demonstrated that CDDP has the ability to cross the blood-lymphatic circulation barrier to the inner ear and is effective in improving ABR thresholds in a noise-exposed mouse model. Additionally, RNA-seq and immunofluorescence analysis revealed that CDDP exerts its protective effects by modulating the respiratory chain and reducing levels of 4-HNE, a marker of oxidative stress, thereby highlighting its antioxidant mechanism. In conclusion, CDDP shows promise as a therapeutic agent for protecting against NIHL, with potential for development into a clinically viable treatment for human patients.