Brazilian researchers are working on a way to use caiman tears in medicine. Surprisingly similar to ours, the tears of these animals could better treat eye diseases in humans.
Belonging to a subfamily of the Alligatoridae family, caimans (Caimaninae) are very close to alligators. Known for having powerful jaws and blade-sharp teeth, their tears also seem to have amazing properties. These are currently the subject of research, the first results of which were published in the journal Frontiers in veterinary science on August 13, 2020. As part of this research, Arianne Pontes Oriá and her team at the University of Bahia ( Brazil) analyzed the characteristics of the tears of several types of animals . The goal? Better understand their properties and verify the possibilities of use for medical purposes. The fact is that the tears of caimans have caught the attention of scientists.
Remember that human eyes are subject to about fifteen blinks per minute in order to spread tears on the cornea. However, caimans can stayabout two hours without the need for such rewetting. In other words, these animals have very little need to blink. This could be explained by the fact that at the microscopic level, these tears are formed by very thick lattices . However, this is not the case for many other species.
For Brazilian researchers, it would be very interesting to use these properties. The objective is to solve several ophthalmic problems concerning humans such as dry eyes, a chronic disorder. However, the tears of other animals are still being studied, such as those of other reptiles (turtles) and birds (owls, hawks).
However, collecting animal tears is arather complicated operation . This involves waiting for the animal to relax before collecting the liquid from its eye using a paper towel. In addition, you have to be patient, because the quantity is not always there. Indeed, many animals only shed basal tears (lubrication) or reflex tears (cleaning). In contrast, emotional tears as in humans are absent.
The study directors are still at the hypothesis stage concerning the use of animal tears in medicine. On the other hand, certain tracks emerge, in particular concerning those of the caimans. In any case, the study has made it possible to understand that evolution is at the origin of a variety of properties attributed to the tears of different animals in response to challenges imposed by their environment.
