Figure 1.

Diabetic (db/db) mice show hyperglycemia and impaired hearing. (A,B) Increased body weight and hyperglycemia developed in male B6.BKS(D)-Lepr^db/J mice. Significant differences were found in body weight (A) and blood glucose levels (B) between db/db and db/+ mice at all time points. Maximum reading from the glucometer was recorded as 600 mg/dL. n = 4 per group. All graphs represent mean ± S.E.M. Asterisk (*) denotes p < 0.05 and pound symbols (#) denote differences from matching 6 wk values; a, main effect of diabetes, p < 0.0001; b, main effect of time, p < 0.0001; c, interaction, p < 0.0001, two-way ANOVA, Tukey’s multiple comparisons test. (C–G) Diabetic (db/db) mice displayed a decreased hearing sensitivity compared to wild type animals. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds from db/+ and db/db mice were recorded every week between 4- and 14-weeks of age at 4 (C), 8 (D), 16 (E), and 32 (F) kHz and click (G) sound. ABR thresholds were significantly increased in the db/db animals compared to the db/+ mice. n = 6–10. All graphs represent mean ± S.E.M. * p < 0.05. Unpaired t-test.