Aminoglycoside antibiotics cause death of sensory hair cells. Research over the past
decade has identified several key players in the intracellular cascade. However, the role of
the extracellular environment in aminoglycoside ototoxicity has received comparatively little
attention. The present study uses the zebrafish lateral line to demonstrate that extracellular
calcium and magnesium ions modulate hair cell death from neomycin and gentamicin
invivo, with high levels of either divalent cation providing significant protection. Imaging …