olopatadine-hydrochloride and Corneal-Injuries

The alkali-induced corneal injury is an ocular emergency that required an immediate and effective management to preserve the normal corneal functions and transparency. Olopatadine is a fast, topically-effective anti-allergic drug, which exhibited potent anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic abilities in different allergic animals' models. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of olopatadine on alkali-induced corneal injury in rats.. Corneal alkali injury (CI) induced in the right eyes of an eight-week-old male Wister rats, by application of 3 mm diameter filter-papers, soaked for 10 s in 1 N-NaOH, to the right eyes' corneal centers for 30 s, afterward, the filter paper removed, and the rat right eye rinsed with 20 ml normal saline. For treatment of CI, either 0.2% or 0.77% olopatadine applied topically daily for 14 days, starting immediately after the induction of CI.. Olopatadine, in the present work, effectively and dose-dependently enhanced the corneal healing after alkali application, with significant reduction of the corneal opacity and neovascularization scores, besides, it suppressed the augmented corneal IL-1β, VEGF, caspase-3 levels, and nuclear NF-κB immunohistochemical expression, meanwhile it abrogated the corneal histopathological changes, induced by alkali application.. Olopatadine appears to be a potential treatment option for alkali-induced corneal injury.

Topics: Alkalies; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Burns, Chemical; Caspase 3; Cornea; Corneal Injuries; Disease Models, Animal; Hypersensitivity; Immunohistochemistry; Interleukin-1beta; Male; NF-kappa B; Olopatadine Hydrochloride; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Wound Healing