Hepatocyte growth factor mimetic confers protection from aminoglycoside-induced hair cell death in vitro

•The hepatocyte growth factor mimetic MM-201 protects hair cells from aminoglycoside damage in mouse utricular explants.•MM-201-mediated protection is attenuated by rapamycin, suggesting that protection depends on mTOR signaling.•MM-201 does not alter antibacterial efficacy of aminoglycosides.•Protection from kanamycin-induced hearing loss is not observed in vivo in mice at the doses tested, suggestive of species- and/or tissue-specific differences.