Effects of a 5% monosulfated glycosaminoglycan and duasorb topic solution on alkali-burned rabbit corneas

Abstract

Topical effects of chondroitin sulfate, a monosulfated glycosaminoglycan, on the healing of alkali-burned corneas were studied.Forty albino rabbits were divided into two groups (GI and GII, n =20) submitted to corneal ulceration with 3 M sodium hydroxide(NaOH). GI was treated with a topical solution of 5% chondroitin sulfate 4 and chondroitin sulfate 6 and GII was treated with 0.9%physiological saline at 6 hour intervals in both cases. The rabbits were studied over a period of 60 days by biomicroscopy witha slit lamp in order to evaluate blepharospasm, blepharitis, chemosis, conjunctival congestion, ocular secretion, and cornealedema, neovascularization and macula. The fluorescein test was performed daily to monitor the evolution of the ulcers. Theanimals were submitted to eye enucleation for histopathology on the 1st, 3rd, 10th, 30th and 60th day after ulcer induction. Whencompared to GII, GI showed 4 perforations. In the eyes in which no perforation occurred, no clinical or microscopic differenceswere observed between groups, except for ocular secretion, which persisted for a longer time in GII animals. Except for thosewith perforations, the corneas tended to heal, on average, within 30 days. The results permit us to conclude that the 5%chondroitin sulfate solution, when instilled on alkali-burned rabbit corneas did not alter healing when compared to the animalstreated with 0.9% physiological saline.