The corneal-protective effects
of an artificial tear containing sodium hyaluronate (SH) and castor oil (CO) were
evaluated on a porcine short-term dry eye model. Fresh porcine eyes with an intact cornea
were treated with an artificial tear of saline, SH solution (0.1%, 0.5% or 1%), CO
solution (0.5%, 1% or 5%) or a mixture solution containing 0.5% SH and 1% CO and then
desiccated for 60, 90 or 180 min. To assess corneal damage, the eyes were stained with
methylene blue (MB) or lissamine green (LG). The staining score of MB, absorbance of MB
extracted from the cornea and staining density of LG increased significantly with
increasing desiccation time in untreated and all artificial tear-treated eyes, although
there were no significant differences in staining scores and absorbance of MB between eyes
treated continuously with saline and 1% SH-treated ones at 60 and 90 min of desiccation or
the mixture-treated eyes at 60 min of desiccation. No significant differences in the
staining density of LG were also found between continuous saline-treated eyes and ones
desiccated for 60 min and treated with 1% SH and the mixture. Mild cytoplasmic
vacuolations were histopathologically observed in the basal and wing cells in eyes
desiccated for 60 min and treated with 1% SH and the mixture. The mixture solution
containing 0.5% SH and 1% CO has protective effects against corneal desiccation similar to
those of 1% SH and would be helpful as an artificial tear.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.