Correlation between actin-binding protein TRIOBP and susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss

  Objective  To analyze the relationship between polymorphisms of the actin-binding protein TRIOBP gene and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), so as to explore the genetic mechanisms underlying the occurrence of NIHL.

  Methods  Noise-exposed workers who had undergone occupational health screening at several automobile manufacturing plants in Guangzhou from January to December 2020 were studied through a case-control study design, the noise-exposed workers with binaural high-frequency hearing thresholds above 25 dB (A) were selected as the high frequency hearing loss group, while those with hearing thresholds below 25 dB (A) in any binaural frequency band (500, 1 000, 2 000, 3 000, 4 000, 6 000 Hz) based on matching variables such as age, noise exposure level and job position were selected as the control group. There were 234 subjects in each group. The general information, occupational history, personal history, previous disease history, physical examination results and fasting whole blood samples of the subjects were collected. Blood samples from both groups of workers were sequenced for single nucleotide polymorphisms of the TRIOBP gene, and conditional logistic regression was used to show the genetic variation in TRIOBP in relation to susceptibility to NIHL.

  Results  Univariate analysis showed that more workers in the high frequency hearing loss group had been exposed to mixed solvents and had prolonged sleep than those in the control group (P < 0.05); more workers in the control group than those in the high frequency hearing loss case group had auditory system symptoms, ALT abnormalities and LDL-C abnormalities (P < 0.05). Conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the five SNPs of TRIOBP gene were not the influencing factors of NIHL susceptibility (P> 0.05).

  Conclusions  Mixed solvent exposure, sleep time, auditory system symptoms, abnormal ALT and LDL-C may be influential factors in noise-induced hearing loss. It cannot be considered that the genetic variation of TRIOBP is related to the susceptibility of NIHL.