Licarin A as a Novel Drug for Inflammatory Eye Diseases

Low-dose melittin is safe for intravitreal administration and ameliorates inflammation in an experimental model of uveitis

“…When evaluating ocular toxicity of new drug candidates, it is important to conduct electrophysiological, clinical and histopathological studies, as here performed ( Onodera et al., 2015 ; Shibuya et al., 2015 ). ERG examinations provide information regarding particular retinal cells and their function, being widely applied to assess toxicity of new ocular therapies ( Huang et al., 2015 ; Paiva et al., 2021 ; Toledo et al., 2019 ). Once elements of a- and b-waves were not affected in both scotopic and photopic conditions, the functionality of rods (a-wave, scotopic) and rod-driven On-bipolar cells (b-wave, scotopic) were preserved, as well as the activity of cones on bipolar cells (photopic) and the phototransduction kinetics (implicit-times) ( Robson et al., 2018 ; Mcclinton et al., 2019 ).…”

“…ERG examinations can be a useful clinical tool in uveitis, allowing the monitoring of the disease severity and progression, along with the therapy response ( Chen et al., 2013 ; Moschos et al., 2014 ). ERG changes in uveitis may result from photoreceptor damage, which occurs due to the presence of inflammatory infiltrate in the posterior segment ( Paiva et al., 2021 ). In fact, disruption of blood-ocular barriers characterizes experimental models of ocular inflammation and leads to infiltration of inflammatory cells, including macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes ( Bousquet et al., 2015 ).…”

Efficacy and Safety Evaluation of Mometasone Furoate in Treating Ocular Inflammation

“…Uveitis was induced in Wistar rats by using BCG (bacillus Calmette–Guérin), as previously described by Castro et al and Paiva et al [ 10 , 11 ]. Briefly, animals were pre-immunized with two subcutaneous injections (260 μg; 2.6 mg/mL) of BCG (ImmunoBCG 40 mg, equivalent to >2.0 106 CFU/mg, Fundação Ataulpho de Paiva, Brazil) suspended in 100 μL of Montanide ISA50 V2 (injectable mineral oil, Seppic, France) on the back of each animal with an interval of 1 week each (days −14 and −7).…”

“…To evaluate the treatment efficacy, clinical examination included external inspection, slip-lamp biomicroscopy (Apramed HS5, São Carlos, Brazil), and indirect binocular ophthalmoscopy (Eyetec OHD 4.2 ophthalmoscope, Brazil), employing a widefield noncontact lens (90D Volk Digital Wide Field, Volk, Germany). Ophthalmic examination was performed before and 3, 7, and 15 days after the IVT injection of BCG [ 10 , 11 ]. A masked ophthalmologist examined all animals and documented the observations.…”

Neuroprotective Properties of Chlorogenic Acid and 4,5-Caffeoylquinic Acid from Brazilian arnica (Lychnophora ericoides) after Acute Retinal Ischemia

“…Furthermore, recently our group described an anti-inflammatory effect of another phenolic compound, licarin A (LCA), in a model of uveitis induced by Mycobacterium bovis Calmette-Guérin Bacillus (BCG). Intravitreal injection of LCA significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 5 . These studies encouraged the investigation of these compounds from “ Brazilian arnica ” in ocular disease models.…”