Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is widely used as a solvent in auditory and vestibular pharmacology, yet its direct effects on cochlear function are not well defined. We tested whether DMSO in artificial perilymph, delivered through the posterior semicircular canal in mice, alters distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and medial olivocochlear (MOC)-mediated cochlear responses in the absence of active drug....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change for clinical practice; findings are relevant to researchers using DMSO as a solvent in cochlear experiments and should inform solvent concentration choices in lab protocols.
DMSO is widely used as a vehicle in cochlear pharmacology research, and concentration-dependent effects on outer hair cell motility could confound experimental results across many studies.
- 01DMSO effects on cochlear efferent function are concentration-dependent, not uniform.
- 02Outer hair cell (OHC) motility — the mechanism behind sound amplification — is affected by DMSO.
- 03Findings published in Hearing Research address a previously undercharacterised methodological variable.
- 04Results have direct implications for experimental design in cochlear pharmacology studies.
- 05Clinical relevance is currently limited to basic science research contexts.
DMSO affects cochlear efferent function and outer hair cell motility in a concentration-dependent manner.
studyunclear- PMID
- 42843095
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.heares.2026.109831.
- Journal
- Hearing Research
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Cochlear tissue/animal model (species not specified in abstract)
- Intervention
- Application of DMSO at varying concentrations to cochlear preparations
- Comparator
- Lower concentrations of DMSO / control conditions
Primary outcomes
Cochlear efferent function; Outer hair cell motility