Could Anemone Proteins Be The Key To Restoring Hearing Loss

There has recently been a fascinating study in the Journal Of Experimental Biology where they have been researching to see if the sea anemone`s incredible ability to heal themselves can be transferred into restoring hearing loss in humans. It is hoped that the proteins that an anemone uses to heal itself after tearing itself in two to reproduce itself can be used to repair damaged cells on humans. These proteins have already been used on mice`s sound- sensing cells to very good effect so this is a possible breakthrough for the restoration of hair loss.

Here is the theory behind this research:

`Tentacles of starlet sea anemones (Nematostella vectensis) are covered in tiny hairlike cells that sense vibrations in the water from prey swimming nearby.The cells are similar to sound-sensing cells found in the ears of humans and other mammals. When loud noises damage or kill these hair cells, the result can range from temporary to permanent hearing loss.`

So Glen Watson, who is a biologist at Louisiana University, and his colleagues saw the opportunity to see if the way anemones healed themselves could help with human hearing loss. So they ` mimicked traumatic hearing loss in mice hair cells by depriving them of calcium ions, which are crucial for maintaining cell structure and transmitting sounds. Within a few hours, the normally stiff, hairlike structures that detect sound "looked like spaghetti," he says.

Researchers bathed the damaged hair cells in a cocktail of anemone repair proteins. After an hour, the cells showed remarkable improvement compared with untreated cells. Proteins rebuilt molecular tethers that bundle hair cells and act as gatekeepers for calcium ions. As a result, the cells absorbed more fluorescent dye — an indication of how well calcium flows into the cells.`

The next part of the research is going to involve seeing if the anemones proteins will repair damaged cells in the ears of living mice as Watson says: "If we could get to those hair cells before they commit to die and treat them, there's a possibility we could reduce hearing loss,"

It will be interesting to see further results from this study. If you wish to read more on this fascinating subject you can go to the Science News website at the following link: Anemone Proteins And Hearing Loss