| Title | Effects of Topical and Subconjunctival Bevacizumab (Avastin) in High-Risk Corneal Transplant Survival. | | Author(s) | Dastjerdi MH, Saban DR, Okanobo A, Nallasamy N, Sadrai Z, Chauhan SK, Hajrasouliha AR, Dana R | | Institution | Harvard Dept. of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Inst., Boston, United States. | | Source | Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2009 Nov 5. | | Abstract | Purpose: To investigate whether corneal graft survival could be improved by topical or subconjunctival bevacizumab (Avastin) in a murine model of vascularized high-risk corneal transplantation.
Methods: Prior to corneal transplantation, intrastromal sutures were placed for 2 weeks in the corneas of BALB/c mice, inducing intense angiogenesis. Allogeneic corneal transplantation was performed using C57BL/6 donor mice. Topical bevacizumab (2.5%) was delivered 3 times a day for 3 weeks in one treatment group, while 0.02 ml (0.5mg) of bevacizumab was injected subconjunctivaly at days 0, 4, 8, and 15 post-transplantation in the other treatment group. The control group received no treatment. Grafts were examined twice a week for 8 weeks by slitlamp microscopy and photographed once a week by slit-lamp digital camera, and scored for opacity. For assessment of corneal neovascularization (NV), a quantitative method was used to measure three primary metrics including neovascular area, vessel caliber, and neovessel invasion area.
Results: Both topical and subconjunctival bevacizumab treatment reduced neovascular area and vessel caliber; however, the regression of corneal NV was more profound when treated subconjunctivally. The mean percent reduction of neovascular area was 55% (p<0.05) by week 8 in the subconjunctival treatment group and 33% (p=0.15) in the topical group. Only subconjunctival bevacizumab treatment resulted in significant regression of neovessel invasion area (p<0.05). All corneal transplants in both the control and the topical groups were rejected by 4 weeks after transplantation. However, in the subconjunctival treatment group, 33% of corneal grafts survived (P<0.01).
Conclusions: Subconjunctival bevacizumab may offer an adjunctive measure to conventional therapies in preventing graft rejection in high-risk corneal transplantation. | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 19892863 |
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