Abstract
Objective We aimed to investigate DNA damage level and new potential
biomarkers that can assist the diagnosis and treatment of congenital
hearing loss. Design A prospective, non‐randomized study. Setting
Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Canakkale, Turkey Participants We
included a patient group consisting of 17 patients with congenital
hearing loss and a control group consisting of 17 healthy individuals.
Main outcome measures We applied the brainstem-evoked response
audiometry (BERA) tests to determine the hearing loss. After taking
blood samples, we applied cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN)
assay. Methods After the demographic characteristics, family stories and
Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry results of both groups were
obtained, their blood was taken. The cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus
assay technique was applied to the blood samples to measure the
frequency of micronucleus, nucleoplasmic bridge, and nuclear bud in both
groups. Results We observed that the micronucleus, nucleoplasmic bridge,
and nuclear bud frequencies were found to be significantly higher in
hearing loss patients than the control group (p<0.0001). Also,
we observed that the frequency of micronucleus in hearing loss patient
was positively correlated with nuclear bud, which may indicate a common
mechanism for these endpoints. Conclusion It was, for the first time,
demonstrated that micronucleation, nucleoplasmic bridge, and nuclear bud
formation were found to be higher, which is an indication of genomic
instability in patients with congenital hearing loss. Since the markers
we evaluated were linked with crucial diseases, our findings might
suggest that patients are susceptible to many crucial diseases,
including cancer.