Tobacco smoke and derangement of the visual function in rats
Namba, T.
Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi 91(8): 801-806
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-0203 PMID: 3434468 Document Number: 292490
The chronic effects of tobacco smoke on the visual system of rats were investigated. Tobacco smoke of 15 cigarettes were daily inhaled within a five-hour period by six Wistar rats and the derangement of visual functions were compared with those of the same number of non-smoking controls. At the fifth week of inhalation, the peak latency time of P1 wave of VEP significantly prolonged, and at the tenth week, this prolognation was more marked with 35% delay compared to the control (p < 0.01). Even after discontinuance of inhalation for three weeks from the 32nd week to the 35th week, no improvement of the prolongation was found. Though no histopathological abnormalities were detected in the optic nerve or the central visual system, the functional damage seemed to be permanent. Since all the ERG records and histopathological findings of the retina during the experiment were normal, the responsible lesion for the abnormal VEP was considered to be at the optic nerve or the central visual system. Although the participation of carbon monoxide in tobacco amblyonia was not considered in previous literature, we thought that carbon monoxide as well as cyanoid, vitamin B12 and nicotine might be the causative agent which induced the above prolongation of the P1 wave of VEP, because a large quantity of carbon monoxide was contained in tobacco smoke.