TGFB1 and otitis media: Although TGF-β1 is not among the classical proinflammatory cytokines, some studies in rodents have demonstrated an early increase in its expression during cochlear damage induced by aminoglycosides (Wissel et al., 2006), antigens (Satoh et al., 2006) and otitis media (Ghaheri et al., 2007), followed by a down-regulation as the response resolves, thus also supporting the immunomodulator role of TGF-β in the cochlea.