Sensory hair cell (HC)

Sensory hair cells are the specialized mechanoreceptors of the auditory and vestibular systems located in the inner ear. Their primary biological function is mechanotransduction, where they convert mechanical stimuli from sound vibrations or head movements into electrical signals through the deflection of apical stereocilia bundles [12, 17]. This process involves the opening of mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels, such as TMC1 and TMC2, leading to cell depolarization and the release of glutamate to the auditory nerve [20, 21]. In humans, these cells do not naturally regenerate; thus, their loss due to aging, acoustic trauma, or exposure to ototoxic drugs like aminoglycosides and cisplatin leads to permanent sensorineural hearing loss and balance disorders [4, 6]. Therapeutic interest in hair cells focuses on otoprotection to prevent cell death and regenerative strategies aimed at inducing surrounding supporting cells to transdifferentiate into new, functional hair cells using Notch and Wnt pathway modulators [2, 14, 23].

Other names

Auditory hair cellInner ear hair cellSensory hair cellVestibular hair cellCochlear hair cell

Notch signaling inhibition to induce transdifferentiation; Wnt signaling activation to promote progenitor cell proliferation; mechanotransduction channel modulation; otoprotection via reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging or apoptotic pathway inhibition; Atoh1-mediated gene therapy for hair cell regeneration.