Failure of elevated heat shock protein 70 antibodies to alter cochlear function in mice

• Published in: Hearing research Vol. 116; no. 1; pp. 65 - 70
• Main Authors: Trune, Dennis R, Kempton, J.Beth, Mitchell, Curtin R, Hefeneider, Steven H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-02-1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies - metabolism; Antibody; Antigen-Antibody Complex - metabolism; Antigens - metabolism; Auditory brainstem response; Autoantigens - metabolism; Autoimmune Diseases - etiology; Autoimmune Diseases - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; CBA/J mouse; Cochlea - immunology; Cochlea - physiology; Ear and associated structures. Auditory pathways and centers. Hearing. Vocal organ. Phonation. Sound production. Echolocation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - etiology; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - immunology; Heat shock protein 70; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins - immunology; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins - physiology; Inner ear; Meniere Disease - etiology; Meniere Disease - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred CBA; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Heat shock protein 70; Auditory brainstem response; Antibody; Inner ear; CBA/J mouse; Autoimmunity; Rodentia; Electrophysiology; Organ of hearing; Antigen; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Auditory evoked potential; Heat shock protein; Cochlea; Immune system
• ISSN: 0378-5955; 1878-5891
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-5955(97)00198-6

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been suggested as the putative cochlear antigen underlying a proposed autoimmune etiology in certain cases of Meniere's disease and idiopathic hearing loss. To determine if antibodies to this cellular protein are capable of altering cochlear function, BALB/c (
N=3) and CBA/J (
N=9) mice were inoculated with bovine HSP70 by intraperitoneal injections (10
μg in saline) every 10 days for 7 or 10 months, respectively. An equal number of control mice were injected with PBS according to the same schedule. ABR thresholds at 4, 8, 16, and 32 kHz in the HSP70-inoculated mice did not change over the 10 month period and were similar to saline controls. Furthermore, serum immune complexes and antinuclear antibodies did not increase over the inoculation period. ELISA analysis demonstrated the mice created antibodies to the foreign HSP70, but these apparently caused no abnormalities in the auditory or immune systems. It was concluded that foreign HSP70 is antigenic and inoculation with it will raise antibodies, but these antibodies were neither immunopathogenic nor cochleopathic. Therefore, these findings do not support current theories that elevated anti-HSP70 antibodies are the underlying cause of hearing loss in patients with such antibodies present.