This study aimed to explore the possibility of using a novel eye drop for ocular pain in dry eyes by examining the effect of tramadol eye drops on nocifensive behavior in normal and dry eye rats. Dry eye model rats were generated by the unilateral surgical excision of the extraorbital lacrimal glands. The effect of tramadol eye drops on ocular pain in normal and dry eye model rats was assessed using the eye closure time induced by a hyperosmolar (5 M NaCl) solution and the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonist (1 mM capsaicin). The current response induced by 1 μM capsaicin in the primary sensory neurons was measured by whole-cell recording using cultured trigeminal ganglion neurons. Extraorbital lacrimal gland excision (LGE) significantly enhanced the ocular nocifensive response induced by a 5 M NaCl solution. Pretreatment with tramadol eye drops transiently suppressed nocifensive behavior on the ocular surface in sham-operated and dry eye rats. The suppressive effect of tramadol was only effective on the ipsilateral eye and was not canceled by a μ-opioid receptor antagonist. Furthermore, the capsaicin-induced nocifensive behavior and current responses in primary sensory neurons were suppressed by tramadol treatment. Tramadol eye drops have been shown to temporarily relieve ocular pain in normal and hyperalgesic conditions, such as dry eye. The underlying mechanism may be a decrease in TRPV1-mediated responses at the peripheral sensory nerves on the ocular surface, not primarily mediated by μ-opioid receptor activation.
Nagaoka et al. (2026) studied this question.