Hearing loss is a common health condition associated with genetic variations, diseases, loud noise exposure, and aging. Diabetes mellitus, one of the most prevalent chronic diseases, is known to increase the incidence of hearing loss in humans. However, no effective therapeutics have been developed to treat diabetes-related hearing loss (DRHL). The most evident histopathologic characteristic in the cochleae of diabetic patients is degeneration of the stria vascularis and cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs).1 For noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), damage to hair cells is also a principal cause.2 Therefore, promoting hair cell survival would be critical for preventing DRHL and NIHL.