Although nicotinic stimulation significantly inhibits the development of experimental myopia, researchers at University of Canberra have concluded that nicotine will be precluded from clinical use due to well-researched side effects and addictive properties.
Having previously observed the impact of nicotinic receptors on ocular growth, the team led by Kate Thompson tested for ocular safety and efficacy, as well as impact on non-ocular autonomic functions.
Using chicks, they administered nicotine in three doses, via intravitreal injection (nine chicks per group) and topically for another (six chicks per group).
They tested for nicotine’s ability to inhibit form-deprivation myopia (FDM) and to inhibit lens-induced myopia (LIM). For ocular safety, following four weeks of topical treatment with nicotine (n = 10), they assessed pupillary reflex, intraocular pressure, corneal curvature/thickness, lens thickness, retinal health (retinal thickness/cell apoptosis), as well as retinal function (electroretinogram recordings).
They tested for nicotine’s ability to inhibit form-deprivation myopia (FDM) and to inhibit lens-induced myopia (LIM).
They observed nicotine to “significantly inhibit the development of FDM in chicks when administered as an intravitreal injection (P < 0.05) or topical eye drops (P < 0.05), albeit not in a dose-dependent manner”.
Additionally, they found that nicotine inhibited LIM (P < 0.05) to a similar degree to that seen for FDM. While nicotine did not affect ocular health over the four-week period, the highest topical dose induced a temporary reduction in cardiorespiratory output (P < 0.05).
The study was published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.1
Reference
1. Thomson K, Karouta C, Ashby R. Administration of nicotine can inhibit myopic growth in animal models. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2024 Sep 3;65(11):29. doi: 10.1167/iovs.65.11.29.
