The effect of lycopene on experimental myringosclerosis Evin Das Sahin a , Sinasi Yalcın b , Ibrahim Halil Ozercan c , Irfan Kaygusuz b , Turgut Karlıdag b , Erol Keles b , Abdulvahap Akyigit d, * a Bingo¨l Government Hospital, Clinic of ENT, Bingo¨l, Turkey b Fırat University Faculty of Medicine, Department of ENT, Elazıg˘, Turkey c Fırat University Medical Faculty, Department of Pathology, Elazig˘, Turkey d Elazıg˘ Education and Research Hospital, Clinic of ENT, Elazıg˘, Turkey Introduction Myringosclerosis is a disease characterized by the hyaline degeneration and calcification of the collagen structure present in lamina propria of the tympanic membrane [1]. While this condition, which could present itself after myringotomy or ventilation tube application as a part of effusion otitis media (EOM) treatment, is usually asymptomatic; in particular, the formation of large sclerotic plaques may lead to hearing loss [2,3]. The human middle ear cavity has an oxygen level of 5–10% under normal conditions. Paracentesis or ventilation tube applica- tion in EOM treatment has been shown to increase the oxygen concentration in middle ear, and cause free oxygen radical formation, which in turn accelerates the inflammatory process, and leads to tissue damage, and myringosclerosis development [4–6]. Lycopene, which is found in fruits, vegetables, and green plants, is a member of the carotenoid family [7–9]. Acting as an antioxidant, it scavenges the reactive oxygen species (ROS), and regulates the immune system by reducing the oxidative stress damage [10]. In vitro studies on the antioxidant effect of lycopene have shown that it inactivates the free oxygen radicals hydrogen International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology 79 (2015) 342–348 A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 17 September 2014 Received in revised form 14 November 2014 Accepted 12 December 2014 Available online 23 December 2014 Keywords: Myringosclerosis Lycopene Antioxidant A B S T R A C T Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of lycopene on myringosclerosis development using histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses. Methods: Fifty-six intact tympanic membranes of 28 guinea pigs were included in the study. Subjects were randomly divided into four groups (n = 7/group). Group I (control group) did not receive any treatment after myringotomy. Group II (lycopene treatment after myringotomy) received oral lycopene (once daily at the same time, 10 mg/kg, dissolved in water, administered with a catheter). The treatment lasted seven days. Group III (lycopene treatment before and after myringotomy), received lycopene treatment (same dose and route of administration) for seven days. Myringotomy was performed on day 8, and lycopene treatment was initiated immediately, and continued for seven days (same dose and route of administration). Group IV (lycopene treatment before myringotomy) received lycopene treatment one week before myringotomy using the same method and dose for seven days. Myringotomy was performed on day 8. Lycopene was not administered after myringotomy. Fourteen days after myringotomy, myringosclerosis was evaluated automicroscopically and scored. Following decapitation, bulla were removed and immersed in a 10% formaldehyde solution. Sections were cut for histopathological and immunohistochemical examination, and thickness, sclerosis, inflammation, and collagen-IV accumulation were scored semi-quantitatively. Results: In the present study, the level of myringosclerosis was significantly lower in lycopene-treated groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, thickness, inflammation, sclerosis, and collagen-IV accumulation were significantly lower in the lycopene-treated groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The timing of lycopene administration – i.e. before and/or after surgery – did not cause any difference with respect to myringosclerosis development. Conclusion: Lycopene, a strong antioxidant, may represent a good alternative treatment to prevent the development of myringosclerosis. ß 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 424 2333344. E-mail addresses: cerrah23@gmail.com, draakyigit@gmail.com (A. Akyigit). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology jo ur n al ho m ep ag e: ww w.els evier .c om /lo cat e/ijp o r l http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2014.12.020 0165-5876/ß 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.