Experimental study of the inhibition of gigantol on corneal neovascularization in rats by alkali burn
Objective To investigate the inhibition of gigantol on corneal neovascularization(CNV)in rats after corneal alkali burn.Methods Animal models of corneal alkali burn were made with SD rats,which were divided into normal control group,model control group,low-concentration gigantol group,high-concentration gigantol group and aflibercept group,with 10 rats in each group.The rats in low-concentration gigantol group,high-concentration gigantol group and aflibercept group were treated with 2.5 mg/0.05 mL gigantol,5 mg/0.05 mL gigantol,and 2 mg/0.05 mL aflibercept by subconjunctival injection after modeling.The CNV,corneal opacity score,and thickness of the cornea were observed and compared on the 3rd,7th,and 14th days after alkali burn.The ratio of CNV area to corneal area was calculated.On the 14th day,all rats were sacrificed.Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of CD34 and VEGF.The protein expression of VEGF,IL-1β,and TNF-α was detected by ELISA.Results On the 7th and 14th days after alkali burn,the percentages of CNV to total corneal area in low-concentration gigantol group,high-concentration gigantol group and aflibercept group were significantly smaller than those in model control group(all P<0.05).On the 14th day,the corneal opacity score was lower in high-concentration gigantol group than model control group(P<0.05).The corneal thickness in model control group and low-concentration gigantol group were significantly greater than that in normal control group(all P<0.001).However,the corneal thickness in high-concentration gigantol group and aflibercept group were not significantly different from that in normal control group(all P>0.05).In addition,the protein expression of VEGF,IL-1β,and TNF-α in corneal tissues in low-concentration gigantol group,high-concentration gigantol group and aflibercept group were significantly lower than that in model control group(all P<0.01).Conclusions Gigantol administration by subconjunctival injection can inhibit the formation of CNV in rats after alkali burn and promote absorption of the corneal edema.