Repurposing Renin–Angiotensin System Drugs for the Treatment of Audiovestibular Disorders

Grant Podhajsky; Kiran S. Marla; Alec P. Marticoff; Kenny Nguyen; Tanner Kempton; Sepehr Salehpour; Caden Duffy; Douglas M. Bennion

doi:10.3390/jcm15020743

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Repurposing Renin–Angiotensin System Drugs for the Treatment of Audiovestibular Disorders

Journal article

Open access

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Repurposing Renin–Angiotensin System Drugs for the Treatment of Audiovestibular Disorders

Grant Podhajsky, Kiran S. Marla, Alec P. Marticoff, Kenny Nguyen, Tanner Kempton, Sepehr Salehpour, Caden Duffy and Douglas M. Bennion

Journal of clinical medicine, Vol.15(2), 743

01/16/2026

DOI: 10.3390/jcm15020743

PMID: 41598680

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Abstract

Audiovestibular disorders arising from the inner ear (e.g., hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo) are widely prevalent in the United States. Yet, medical treatments targeting the underlying pathology of these disorders remain scarce. The practice of repurposing FDA-approved drugs for new therapeutic indications has become increasingly common, offering a lower risk route to treatment development with fewer barriers to implementation, as safety profiles are already established. The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is well known for its role in blood pressure and fluid balance, and its overactivation induces acute and chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. This review discusses existing evidence and proposed otoprotective mechanisms of RAS inhibition, specifically using angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs), which support the repurposing of these medications as novel treatments to affect the inner ear pathologies that underlay hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo.

renin-angiotensin system

angiotensin II

angiotensin II type 1 receptor

sensorineural hearing loss

tinnitus

vertigo

oxidative stress

inflammation

blood-labyrinth barrier

Details

Title: Subtitle: Repurposing Renin–Angiotensin System Drugs for the Treatment of Audiovestibular Disorders
Creators: Grant Podhajsky - University of Iowa, Otolaryngology
Kiran S. Marla - University of Iowa
Alec P. Marticoff - University of Iowa
Kenny Nguyen - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Tanner Kempton - University of Iowa
Sepehr Salehpour - University of Iowa, Otolaryngology
Caden Duffy - University of Iowa
Douglas M. Bennion - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of clinical medicine, Vol.15(2), 743
DOI: 10.3390/jcm15020743
PMID: 41598680
ISSN: 2077-0383
eISSN: 2077-0383
Publisher: MDPI
Grant note: Univ of Iowa Department of Otolaryngology: Schilling Resident Research Grant
Language: English
Date published: 01/16/2026
Academic Unit: Otolaryngology
Record Identifier: 9985130217902771

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