Aspirin in Audiology: A Dual-Edged Sword in Hearing Loss and Its Nanotechnology-Driven Future

Globally, more than 1.6 billion individuals are affected by hearing loss. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA), an inexpensive and widely available drug, has demonstrated a complex dual role in hearing loss, with its effects potentially influenced by dosage and individual variability....

No immediate practice change; clinicians should remain vigilant for aspirin-related hearing damage at high doses, but nanotechnology applications reviewed here are still experimental and not clinically available.

Understanding aspirin's dual ototoxic and potentially otoprotective roles is important as nanoparticle drug delivery systems move toward clinical investigation in audiology.

1. 01Aspirin is well-documented as ototoxic (hearing-damaging) at high doses, causing reversible tinnitus and hearing loss.
2. 02Emerging evidence suggests low-dose aspirin may have protective effects on cochlear (inner-ear) function in some contexts.
3. 03Nanotechnology-based delivery systems could potentially target the cochlea to maximise benefit and minimise ototoxic risk.
4. 04Current nanotechnology applications in audiology remain pre-clinical or early experimental.
5. 05Review highlights a need for carefully designed clinical trials to resolve the dose-dependent dual role of aspirin.

PMID

42199810

DOI

10.2147/DDDT.S605798.

Journal

Drug Design, Development and Therapy

Publication type

review

Evidence level

5

Population

Not applicable — narrative/scoping review of published literature on aspirin and hearing loss

Intervention

Aspirin (various doses and delivery methods) in the context of hearing loss and otoprotection