Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9570
ISSN: 2155-9570
Popov Vladimir Yurievich, Brzheskiy V V and Kalinina N M
Saint Petersburg State Medical Pediatric University, Russia
The Nikiforov Russian Centre of Emergency and Radiation Medicine, Russia
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Introduction: The possibility of modelling dry eye disease in rabbits, using botulinum toxin A (BT-A), and the assessment of characteristic properties of the inflammatory process in eye surface tissues in animals are of great interest. Aim: The aim was to study local immunity properties in rabbits with modelled dry eye disease. Material & Methods: 10 rabbits (20 eyes) were given transconjunctival 5ED BT-A injections into the main, garter and suborbital lacrimal glands, using a 29G needle, under anesthesia. Tear fluid osmolarity was determined, using Tear Lab Osmolarity System (Tear Lab Corp., USA), and the quantity of cytokines IL-1�², IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-1Ra, TNF-�±, INF-�±, INF-�³ was estimated, using ELISA, before the investigation and on the 21st day. Results: Reliable lacrimal production decrease and development of pronounced xerotic changes in the eye surface epithelium were recorded in animals on the 21st day after BT-A injections. Reliable 1.6 times or greater increase of all pro-inflammatory cytokines in the tear fluid (p<0.05-0.001) was recorded on the 21st day of the experiment. However, IL-10 production became 1.9 times (p<0.001) smaller in comparison with the initial data. The change of the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines was followed by a reliable increase of precorneal tear film osmolarity (p<0.05) naturally stimulating inflammatory process in eye surface tissues. Conclusion: There is a possibility of using the worked out model to investigate xerotic process pathogenesis and means of its correction.