Efecto de la melatonina y análogos sobre la respuesta de la secreción lagrimal

Abstract

Currently, most of the treatments in dry eye disease are palliative and are restricted to the use of eye drops and artificial tears that improve the patient's symptoms. One of the new therapeutic strategies focuses on looking forcompounds that have the effect of enhancing tear secretion. In this context, substances for topical use with tear secretagogue effect such as Rebamipide and Diquafosol have been developed and commercialized, and others have been described that show this capacity at an experimental level. One of them ismelatonin.The evidence of melatonin synthesis in the lacrimal glands, its presence intear secretion, its stimulating effect on tear production combined with the Ap4A dinucleotide, made us consider the possibility that melatonin and its anologs (agomelatine analogs, 5-MCA-NAT and IIK7) had a secretagogue effect. Among the objectives pursued by this thesis is to study in vivo (rabbits) the ability to increase tear secretion of melatonin and these three analogs, as well asto elucidate the action pathways through which is carried out this action. That is,the implication in the secretagogue effect of the different specific membrane melatonin receptors or MTr (MT1, MT2 and MT3 / QR2) present on the ocular surface and lacrimal glands...