Researchers have developed a cell-inspired catalytic nanoreactor designed to protect inner-ear cells from noise damage, Nature Communications reported on August 28, 2026. The platform, designated HSC@Se, targets sensorineural hearing loss by rebalancing cochlear redox homeostasis and stopping cellular degeneration.
Sensorineural hearing loss often follows the disruption of delicate inner-ear conditions. When redox, ionic, and metabolic balances break down, sensory hair cells degenerate and synaptic connections decay. Existing medical approaches struggle to halt this damage because they cannot restore enzymatic clearance of reactive oxygen species or penetrate the protective blood-labyrinth barrier.
To overcome those limits, the authors built HSC@Se using an albumin scaffold that stabilizes the nanoarchitecture. The system integrates a glutathione peroxidase-mimetic diselenide together with superoxide dismutase and catalase. This assembly reconstructs a natural multi-step detoxification cascade that neutralizes damaging reactive oxygen species inside the tissue.
Albumin within the carrier mediates active penetration across the blood-labyrinth barrier through neutrophil-adhesive transport and megalin-mediated uptake. This mechanism directs the catalytic payload directly into cochlear hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons.
In noise-exposed mouse models, the nanoreactors suppressed ferroptosis, normalized iron handling, and re-established redox balance. The intervention preserved hair-cell structures, maintained ribbon synapses, and reduced shifts in auditory thresholds. Transcriptomic analysis confirmed that the treatment activated genetic repair pathways tied to cellular metabolism and antioxidant responses.
Scientists Baoying Xu, Xinru Chen, and colleagues from Shanghai University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine conducted the experiments. Financial backing for the research came from the National Key Research and Development Projects, the National Nature Science Foundation of China, and the Shanghai Science and Technology Program.
