Atorvastatin's protective effect against amikacin-induced ototoxicity: An experimental study in rats

Aim: Aminoglycoside antibiotics such as amikacin can cause irreversible hearing loss due to ototoxicity. This study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of atorvastatin against amikacin-induced ototoxicity in a rat model.Material and Methods: Twenty Wistar Albino rats were divided into four groups: control, atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day), amikacin (600 mg/kg/day), and amikacin + statins. Auditory function was evaluated using Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission (DPOAE) tests on days 0, 7, and 14.Results: The amikacin group showed significant hearing loss on days 7 and 14 compared with baseline (p < 0.001), whereas the amikacin + statin group had significantly better hearing thresholds than the amikacin group (p < 0.001). The DPOAE values decreased significantly in the amikacin and amikacin + statin groups, especially at high frequencies (4000-6000 Hz) on days 7 and 14 (p < 0.001). However, this decrease was less pronounced in the amikacin + statin group. No significant changes in hearing were observed in the control or statin groups.Conclusion: These findings suggest that atorvastatin may attenuate amikacin-induced ototoxicity, possibly through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Further well-designed studies are required to confirm the clinical relevance of these results and to explore the potential of atorvastatin as a strategy to reduce the risk of hearing loss associated with aminoglycoside therapy.