The Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNFα) in Hearing Loss and Vestibular Schwannomas

Purpose of Review The aim of this review is to highlight relevant literature on the role of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and vestibular schwannomas (VS). Recent Findings A comprehensive review of publically available databases including PubMed was performed. The mechanism by which hearing loss occurs in VS is still unknown and likely multifactorial. Genetic differences between VSs and tumor-secreted proteins may be responsible, at least in part, for VS-associated SNHL. TNFα has pleotropic roles in promoting inflammation, maintaining cellular homeostasis, inducing apoptosis, and mediating ototoxicity in patients with sporadic VS. TNFα-targeted therapies have shown efficacy in both animal models of sensorineural hearing loss and clinical trials in patients with immune-mediated hearing loss. Efforts are underway to develop nanotechnology-based methods to target TNFα and other pathogenic molecules in VS. Summary Development of molecularly targeted therapies against TNFα represents an important area of research in ameliorating VS-associated hearing loss.