Cells in diabetes mellitus (DM) respond to low oxygen by increasing hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), which impacts vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Although curcuminoids show therapeutic promise, no validated options are available to repair organ of Corti damage caused by DM.

The present study aims to evaluate the effects of curcuminoid administration on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and plasma levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A in a DM model using Rattus norvegicus.

An in vivo experimental design was employed with a double-blind control set up. Twenty-five male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: group 1 (DM without curcuminoids), groups 2 and 3 (DM with curcuminoids at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight for 10 days), and groups 4 and 5 (DM with curcuminoids at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight for 13 days). Diabetes mellitus was induced through an intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (150 mg/kg body weight). Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) tests were performed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure plasma levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A.

Significant differences were observed in SNR values, HIF-1α, and VEGF-A (p < 0.05). A significant correlation was found between SNR and HIF-1α (r = - 0.553; p = 0.004) and VEGF-A (r = - 0.564; p = 0.003), indicating that lower levels of these factors were associated with higher SNR.

Curcuminoids can prevent and treat outer hair cell damage in the organ of Corti due to DM, as shown by improvements in plasma HIF-1α, VEGF-A levels, and SNR values.

The Ethics Committee of Universitas Sumatera Utara in Medan, Indonesia, granted approval for the research protocol under the number 199/KEP/USU/2020. Every effort was undertaken to lessen suffering and decrease the number of animals involved.

Data will be available upon request to the corresponding author.

Editor-in-Chief: Geraldo Pereira Jotz.

Received: 22 October 2024

Accepted: 14 July 2025

Article published online:
19 March 2026

© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Muhammad Edy Syahputra Nasution, Tengku Siti Hajar Haryuna, Juliandi Harahap, Syafruddin Ilyas, Dharma Lindarto. The Role of Curcuminoid in Preventing and Repairing Damage to the Organ of Corti in Rattus norvegicus Diabetes Mellitus Model as Assessed by DPOAE Examination with Plasma Levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-A. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2026; 30: s00451811641.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811641