REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
This article is part of the Research TopicHunting for Inflammation Mediators: Identifying Novel Biomarkers for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory DiseasesView all 14 articles
Cochlear Immunology and Its Therapeutic Revolution
Provisionally accepted
Ting Liu1
Ye Tian1Weibang Chen1Xiaoyu Liu1Lei Zhu1Fengxiang Cao1Ruoyun He1Zizhong Yu1Xueming Cui1Peng Wang1Yingqi Liu1ZiYing Zheng1Wenxiong Gao1
Junmin Huang1
Hongying Luo1
Lu Chen1Ziqian Bi2Junhao Song3Tianyang Wang4Chia Xin Liang5
Junfeng Hao1
Han Wang1
Chunjie Tian1*- 1Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
- 2Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
- 3China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- 4Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
- 5JTB Technology Corp, Tainan City, Taiwan
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Over the past five years, cochlear immunology has experienced a paradigm shift, challenging the long-held perception of the inner ear as an "immune-privileged" site. Our review consolidates recent advancements that elucidate the cochlea's intricate local immune system, comprising resident macrophages, Tlymphocytes, and dendritic cells, in conjunction with the regulatory blood-labyrinth barrier. We investigate how immune dysregulation contributes to various auditory disorders, including autoimmune inner ear disease, inflammatory responses to cochlear implantation, noise-induced hearing loss, and age-related hearing loss. The review critically assesses therapeutic strategies, encompassing both traditional immunosuppressants and innovative immunomodulatory approaches, as well as interventions targeting fundamental aging pathways. Significant research gaps are highlighted, including the need for reliable biomarkers, a deeper understanding of immune cell heterogeneity, and the development of enhanced drug delivery systems. These advancements present promising opportunities for the development of targeted treatments for immune-mediated hearing loss, with the potential to revolutionize the clinical management of these conditions.
Keywords: Cochlear immunology, blood-labyrinth barrier, Sensorineuralhearing loss, Autoimmune inner ear disease, noise-induced hearing loss, Immunomodulation, Immunotherapy
Received: 15 Jul 2025; Accepted: 28 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Tian, Chen, Liu, Zhu, Cao, He, Yu, Cui, Wang, Liu, Zheng, Gao, Huang, Luo, Chen, Bi, Song, Wang, Liang, Hao, Wang and Tian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chunjie Tian, tianchunjie@gdmu.edu.cn
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