NLRP3 and hearing loss disorder: To validate the RNA-seq results, RNA extracted from the 16 VS tissue samples was used for real-time RT-qPCR of eight genes of interest: PREX2, APLNR, GFAP, PLVAP, and GPNMB, which were identified above, APLN because it is a ligand for APLNR [45] and because the plasma levels of APLN were reported to be negatively correlated with the severity of bilateral idiopathic tinnitus [46], KCNQ3 because this potassium channel is implicated in noise-induced tinnitus [47], and NLRP3 because NLRP3 inflammasome activation is implicated in VS-induced hearing loss [41].