Mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in the mammalian inner ear: a scoping review

Mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors regulate stress and inflammation pathways relevant to hearing and balance, as well as corticosteroid treatments. However, translation to clinical outcomes remains inconsistent, likely due to biologically significant species-, strain-, and tissue-specific differences in receptor distribution....

This scoping review provides foundational receptor-distribution data that may help refine corticosteroid treatment strategies for sudden sensorineural hearing loss and Ménière's disease, but no immediate protocol changes are warranted pending further clinical trials.

Clarifying the roles of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in the inner ear could lead to more targeted steroid therapies for hearing and balance disorders, potentially improving treatment precision.

1. 01Scoping review maps mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptor distribution across the mammalian inner ear.
2. 02Both receptor types are implicated in hearing and balance function, relevant to corticosteroid treatments.
3. 03Findings have direct relevance to conditions like sudden sensorineural hearing loss and Ménière's disease.
4. 04Published in Hearing Research, a leading audiology and hearing science journal.
5. 05Highlights gaps in current knowledge that future targeted research should address.

PMID

42190306

DOI

10.1016/j.heares.2026.109681.

Journal

Hearing Research

Publication type

review

Evidence level

2a

Population

Mammalian inner ear tissue studies (animal and human); not a direct patient population

Intervention

Characterization of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptor distribution in the inner ear