Effect of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Hair Cell Regeneration Following Gentamicin-Induced Ototoxicity in Postnatal Organotypic Culture of Rat Cochlea

The study examined the impact of low level laser therapy (LLLT) on the regeneration of hair cells in the cochlea of rats after damage caused by gentamicin, a drug known to be harmful to auditory cells. The experiment used rat cochlea organotypic cultures and divided them into four groups: a control group, a laser-only group, a gentamicin-only group, and a combined gentamicin and laser group. The results showed that the laser-only group had a significantly higher number of hair cells than the control group, suggesting that LLLT can help preserve hair cell count. The gentamicin-only group saw a reduction in hair cells to 37.2% compared to groups not exposed to gentamicin, while the combined gentamicin and laser group experienced a significant increase in hair cell numbers compared to the gentamicin-only group. This indicates that LLLT may encourage hair cell regeneration following gentamicin-induced damage, pointing to a potential therapeutic use of LLLT for ototoxicity, despite the mechanisms of regeneration not being completely understood.