Maximum tolerable dose for avoidance of cataract induced by ultraviolet radiation-B for 18 to 60 week old rats

Efficacy and Safety of Transglutaminase-Induced Corneal Stiffening in Rabbits

Purpose

To evaluate the biomechanical efficacy and safety of in vivo microbial transglutaminase (Tgases)-induced corneal crosslinking in a rabbit model.

Methods

A total of 34 white New Zealand rabbits were divided into two groups, a biochemistry group and a photochemistry group. The right eye of every rabbit was treated and left eyes served as negative controls. In the biochemistry group, a 1 U/mL solution of crosslinking agent microbial Tgases (Tgases CXL) was applied to the corneal surface, while in the photochemistry group, clinical ultraviolet A-riboflavin crosslinking (UVA/RF CXL) was used. Efficacy and safety evaluated on the 14th day after the procedures. Twelve pairs of corneal strips were harvested from the eyes of 12 euthanized rabbits in every group, and uniaxial tensile tests were performed to evaluate ex vivo biomechanical effects. The CXL-treated eye to its corresponding untreated eye ratio of tangent modulus were calculated. Another five pairs of corneal button were excised from euthanized animals in every group for corneal stroma and endothelium staining to evaluate changes in keratocyte distribution and endothelial cell damage.

Results

In tensile tests, tangent modulus was statistically higher in the Tgases CXL groups under 1.0 MPa (26.59 ± 4.54 vs. 21.47 ± 4.72 MPa, P = 0.04) and 1.5 MPa (29.75 ± 5.01 vs. 20.47 ± 6.63 MPa, P = 0.00). The tangent modulus ratio of Tgases group (1.72 ± 1.0 vs. 1.05 ± 0.22, P = 0.04) was significantly higher than that of UVA/RF under 1.5-MPa stress. The distribution of keratocytes in the corneal stroma and the morphologies of endothelial cells were similar in Tgases CXL-treated and untreated corneas. However, in the UVA/RF CXL group, keratocytes in the anterior half of stromal thickness were lost, and clear endothelial cell apoptosis was observed.

Conclusions

Tgases-CXL effectively stiffened the cornea and caused no damage to the endothelium and keratocytes in the cornea. This crosslinking method could be useful as a next-generation treatment for corneal ectasia and could replace CXL of photochemistry.

Translational Relevance

These findings may give a new hope to biomechanically compromised corneal disease due to mechanical forces, such as corneal ectasia and keratoconus. A next-generation treatment to these corneal diseases due to mechanical forces may be designed based on the new findings.

Optimizing Genipin Concentration for Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking: An ex vivo Study

PURPOSE

Studying genipin variable concentrations, treatment durations, and delivery methods as a substance to increase corneal stiffness by inducing corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

100 bovine corneas treated with different genipin concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1%) and treatment durations (15 min, 40 min, 2 h, and 3 days) through different delivery methods compared to 10 controls treated with riboflavin/UV. Histology examination, enzymatic digestion with collagenase and thermal differential scanning calorimetry were performed on the different samples.

RESULTS

Bovine corneas soaked in 0.5% genipin morphologically showed 4.7% CXL in comparison to 5.6% in controls (p < 0.05). Corneas treated with topical 0.5% genipin, by a 140-µL drop applied hourly for 2 h, showed 7% corneal CXL. Corneas treated with topical genipin 0.5% for 30 min, 1 and 2 h showed 54 ± 6, 40 ± 7, and 39 ± 9% enzymatic degradation, respectively, in comparison to controls (74%). Corneas treated with 0.5% genipin for 1, 2, and 8 h showed higher thermal denaturation resistance (Td values of 64.9 ± 0.3, 64.7 ± 0.0 and 67.3 ± 0.9), respectively, in comparison to the control group (64.6 ± 0.5) (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Genipin 0.5%, in a 140-µL drop applied hourly for 2 h, showed better potential to enhance corneal stiffness and stability through inducing CXL.

Cataract after repeated daily in vivo exposure to ultraviolet radiation

Epidemiological data indicate a correlation between lifelong exposure to ultraviolet radiation and cortical cataract. However, there is no quantitative experimental data on the effect of daily repeated in vivo exposures of the eye to UVR. Therefore, this experiment was designed to verify whether the dose additivity for UVR exposures holds through periods of time up to 30 d. Eighty rats were conditioned to a rat restrainer 5 d prior to exposure. All animals were divided into four exposure period groups of 1, 3, 10, and 30 d of exposure to UVR. Each exposure period group of 20 animals was randomly divided into five cumulated UVR dose subgroups. Eighteen-wk-old non-anesthetized albino Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed daily to UVR-300 nm for 15 min. One week after the last exposure, animals were sacrificed. The lenses were extracted for macroscopic imaging of dark-field anatomy, and degree of cataract was quantified by measurement of the intensity of forward lens light scattering. Maximum tolerable dose (MTD(2.3:16)), a statistically defined standard for sensitivity for the threshold for UVR cataract, was estimated for each exposure period. Exposed lenses developed cataract with varying appearance on the anterior surface. Single low doses of UVR accumulated to cause cataract during periods up to 30 d. MTD(2.3:16) for 1, 3, 10, and 30 d of repeated exposures was estimated to 4.70, 4.74, 4.80, and 6.00 kJ m(-2), respectively. In conclusion, the lens sensitivity to UVR-B for 18-wk-old Sprague-Dawley rats decreases with the increasing number of days being exposed.

Spectral transmission of the pig lens: effect of ultraviolet A+B radiation

OBJECTIVE

To determine the spectral transmission curve of the crystalline lens of the pig. To analyse how this curve changes when the crystalline lens is irradiated with ultraviolet A+B radiation similar to that of the sun. To compare these results with literature data from the human crystalline lens.

PROCEDURES

We used crystalline lenses of the common pig from a slaughterhouse, i.e. genetically similar pigs, fed with the same diet, and slaughtered at six months old. Spectral transmission was measured with a Perkin-Elmer Lambda 35 UV/VIS spectrometer. The lenses were irradiated using an Asahi Spectra Lax-C100 ultraviolet source, which made it possible to select the spectral emission band as well as the intensity and exposure time.

RESULTS

The pig lens transmits all the visible spectrum (95%) and lets part of the ultraviolet A through (15%). Exposure to acute UV (A+B) irradiation causes a decrease in its transmission as the intensity or exposure time increases: this decrease is considerable in the UV region.

CONCLUSIONS

We were able to determine the mean spectral transmission curve of the pig lens. It appears to be similar to that of the human lens in the visible spectrum, but different in the ultraviolet. Pig lens transmission is reduced by UV (A+B) irradiation and its transmission in the UV region can even disappear as the intensity or exposure time increases. An adequate exposure intensity and time of UV (A+B) radiation always causes an anterior subcapsular cataract (ASC).

Optical radiation and the eyes with special emphasis on children

The Sun is the most abundant source of optical radiation for the child eye. New hand-held visible lasers are a threat to the child eye. Some scientific data suggest that near infrared radiation may cause cumulative damage in the ocular lens. The child eye usually is exposed to ambient solar radiation, gazing at the horizon. Ambient Sun ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure to the child is complex due to atmospheric scattering and strong dependence on background reflection. Solar exposure causes biological damage, only by photochemical mechanisms. UVR exposure to a child eye is mainly a threat to the anterior segment of the eye, but also age dependently to the retina. Above threshold exposure to UVR, for short delay onset of damage, causes a toxic reaction on the surface of the eye, snow blindness, and cataract. Sub-threshold daily exposure to UVR over decades is associated with several ocular surface pathologies and eye lid cancer. Visible radiation is a threat to the retina. A single above threshold exposure, for short delay onset of damage to the retina causes immediate photochemical Type II retinal damage, Sun blindness. A single exposure of the retina to a very high intensity laser beam may cause thermal or thermo-mechanical damage in the retina. In environments with high irradiance of optical radiation, the child eye should be protected. Legislation and public information is required for avoidance of damage from high intensity laser systems. More research is urgently needed to exclude the potential hazard of near infrared radiation.

Maximum tolerable dose for avoidance of cataract after repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation in rats

The purpose of the present study was to determine the impact of inter-exposure interval between repeated equivalent exposures of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on threshold accumulated dose for cataract development. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 inter-exposure interval groups with 20 rats in each group. The inter-exposure intervals were 6 h, 1, 3, 9 and 30 days respectively. Each inter-exposure interval group was divided into 5 dose-subgroups. Only one eye of each rat was exposed to ultraviolet radiation (lambdamax=300 nm). The total dose incident on the cornea, in each subgroup varied between 0 approximately 10 kJ/m2. One week after the second exposure, the rats were sacrificed and both lenses were extracted. The intensity of forward light scattering was measured and macroscopic morphology was documented. Maximum tolerable dose (MTD) for each inter-exposure interval was estimated based on the experimentally determined dose-response function. The difference of intensity of light scattering between exposed and contralateral non-exposed lens decreased as a function of inter-exposure interval between the two equivalent exposures. The accumulated MTD2.3:16 was 5.3, 5.1, 5.4, 5.8, and 6.0 kJ/m2 UVR-B for the 6 h, 1, 3, 9 and 30 day inter-exposure interval between the two exposures, respectively. The shorter the inter-exposure interval between two subsequent exposures, the more damage. The time constant for repair of lens damage after in vivo exposure to close to threshold dose was estimated to be eight days and the fraction of repairable damage to be 20%. The accumulated threshold dose for damage after two repeated equivalent exposures to UVR-B increases as a function of inter-exposure interval up to at least 30 days inter-exposure interval.