Noise-induced hearing loss is a major cause of acquired hearing loss around the world and pharmacological approaches to protecting the ear from noise are under investigation. Noise results in a combination of mechanical and metabolic damage pathways in the cochlea. The Src family of protein tyrosine kinases could be active in both pathways and Src inhibitors have successfully prevented noise-induced cochlear damage and hearing loss in animal models. The long-term goal is to optimize delivery methods into the cochlea to reduce invasiveness and limit side-effects before human clinical testing can be considered. At their current early stage of research investigation, Src inhibitors represent an exciting class of compounds for inclusion in a multifaceted pharmacological approach to protecting the ear from noise.
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