Mefloquine-Induced Inner Ear Damage and Preventive Effects of Electrical Stimulation: An Electrophysiological Study.

INTRODUCTION: Mefloquine is an antimalarial medicine used to prevent and treat malaria. This medicine has some side effects, including ototoxicity. This study, which was designed in two phases, aimed to investigate the side effects of mefloquine and evaluate the preventive effects of electrical stimulation on these side effects. METHODS: In the first phase, two doses of mefloquine (50 and 200 µM) were injected into male rats, and after 7 days, they were evaluated by an auditory brainstem response (ABR) test. In the second phase, electrical stimulation was applied for 10 days, and then a toxic dose of mefloquine was injected. Similar to the first phase of the study, the animals were evaluated by an ABR test after 7 days. RESULTS: In the first phase, the results showed that a high dose of mefloquine increased the ABR threshold and wave I latency; however, these changes were not observed in the second phase. CONCLUSION: Application of electrical stimulation could prevent the ototoxic effects of mefloquine. According to the findings of the present study, electrical stimulation can be used as a preconditioner to prevent the ototoxic effects of mefloquine.