Effects of short-term oral administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on tear production in clinically normal Syrian hamsters

Abstract

Objective: To determine effects of 14 days of oral administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on aqueous tear production in clinically normal Syrian hamsters. Animal studied: Fifteen healthy adult Syrian hamsters. Procedure: Baseline phenol red thread test (PRTT) values were recorded 1 day prior to treatment. Eight hamsters in treated group received 15 mg/kg trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole orally twice a day for 14 days. The remaining seven hamsters were used as untreated controls and received a placebo. All ophthalmic tests were performed without chemical restraint. PRTT values were evaluated in both eyes of all Syrian hamsters using a commercial PRTT strip of a single lot number. Results: The mean ± SD baseline PRTT values for treatment group and control group were 7.25 ± 1.3 mm/15 s and 5.42 ± 1.13 mm/15 s, respectively. After 14 days of drug administration, the mean ± SD PRTT values for treatment group and control group were 5.62 ± 1.5 and 5.64 ± 0.74, respectively. Significant decreases in the PRTT values, compared with baseline values, were observed in the treatment group on day 15 (P = 0.042). Conclusions: Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole decreased tear production in the hamster in this study.