Safety and efficacy of tacrolimus-coated silicone plates as an alternative to mitomycin C in a rabbit model of conjunctival fibrosis.
PLoS One 2019;
14:e0219194. [PMID:
31276522 PMCID:
PMC6611608 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0219194]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose
To find safer and more effective drugs than mitomycin C to prevent conjunctival fibrosis in a rabbit model.
Methods
Twenty-four rabbits were involved and randomly divided into four groups. Limbus-based peritomy was performed at the superior cornea, and normal saline (NS group), mitomycin C (MMC group), SR (SR group), or TC (TC group)-coated silicone plate was inserted at the sub-Tenon’s space in each group. Conjunctival congestion was evaluated at 1 and 4 weeks postoperatively. At 4 weeks, the numbers of inflammatory cells, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, blood vessels, and goblet cells were counted in the conjunctiva and Tenon’s capsule around the silicone plate.
Results
At 4 weeks, conjunctival congestion was significantly less than that observed at 1 week in the SR and TC groups (p < 0.05), whereas the number of myofibroblasts was significantly lower in the MMC and TC groups (p < 0.05). The conjunctiva was significantly less congested in the TC group versus the other groups at 1 week and 4 weeks (p < 0.05). The TC group had the lowest number of inflammatory cells and MMC group had the lowest number of goblet cells among all groups (p < 0.05).
Conclusions
The TC-coated silicone plate was more effective in inhibiting inflammation and fibrosis versus the MMC-coated silicone plate and was associated with fewer adverse effects in the rabbit model.
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