IOVS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gonzalez, G. G.
Right arrow Articles by Belmonte, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Gonzalez, G. G.
Right arrow Articles by Belmonte, C.

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Vol 34, 3329-3335, Copyright © 1993 by Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

ARTICLES AND REPORTS

Reduction of capsaicin-induced ocular pain and neurogenic inflammation by calcium antagonists

GG Gonzalez, P Garcia de la Rubia, J Gallar and C Belmonte
Department of Physiology, University of Alicante, Spain.

PURPOSE. To examine whether blockade of chemosensitivity of corneal nociceptors by Ca2+ antagonists decreases pain and irritation induced by capsaicin. METHODS. In adult rabbits, the number of lid-squeezing movements and the degree of palpebral opening, miotic response, and conjunctival vasodilation evoked by a bilateral instillation of 30 microliters of capsaicin (33 mM) were measured at different times (up to 5 hours) after the drug. Irritative responses to capsaicin in eyes pretreated with diltiazem, verapamil, or nifedipine were compared with those that received only the vehicle. Protein content in aqueous humor was also measured at the end of the experiment. RESULTS. Diltiazem at doses of 1 to 28 mM, administered 15 minutes before the application of capsaicin, significantly decreased scratching movements, conjunctival hyperemia, closure of the eye, and elevated aqueous protein concentration induced by capsaicin; however, it did not significantly reduce miosis. Nifedipine (2.8 and 10 mM) diminished the number of scratching movements but not other inflammatory parameters, whereas verapamil (2.8 and 10 mM) was totally ineffective in attenuating ocular signs of irritation produced by capsaicin. CONCLUSIONS. These results suggest that by lowering capsaicin-induced neural activity in nociceptive terminals, diltiazem decreases pain and neurogenic inflammation and may be useful as both an analgesic and an antiinflammatory agent in the eye.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
T. D. Gover, J. P. Y. Kao, and D. Weinreich
Calcium Signaling in Single Peripheral Sensory Nerve Terminals
J. Neurosci., June 15, 2003; 23(12): 4793 - 4797.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
M. Vesaluoma, L. Müller, J. Gallar, A. Lambiase, J. Moilanen, T. Hack, C. Belmonte, and T. Tervo
Effects of Oleoresin Capsicum Pepper Spray on Human Corneal Morphology and Sensitivity
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., July 1, 2000; 41(8): 2138 - 2147.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 J. Neurophysiol.Home page
E. Carstens, N. Kuenzler, and H. O. Handwerker
Activation of Neurons in Rat Trigeminal Subnucleus Caudalis by Different Irritant Chemicals Applied to Oral or Ocular Mucosa
J Neurophysiol, August 1, 1998; 80(2): 465 - 492.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1993 by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology