Comparison of the anti‐inflammatory effects of artificial tears in a rat model of corneal scraping

Abstract

Purpose: Artificial tears (ATs) are used routinely to alleviate the symptoms of mild to moderate dry eye. Preservative-free cationic emulsions (eg, Cationorm Ò ) are an innovative approach for the management of signs and symptoms of dry eye. The aim of the present exploratory experiment was to evaluate the efficacy of this cetalkonium chloride (CKC)-containing cationic emulsion on debrided cornea and to characterize its effects on scraping-induced inflammation. Methods: Four ATs were assessed in a rat model of corneal scraping. The upper part of the corneal epithelium was scraped before a 5-day treatment, followed by clinical evaluations and fluorescein staining to evaluate cornea recovery. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of the ATs was assessed in vivo and in vitro. Results: In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) revealed a trend toward better corneal clinical signs (lower IVCM scores) for the animals treated with the unpreserved ATs. Benzalkonium chloride treatment decreased goblet cell count by 37.5%. While the soft-preserved Systane Balance Ò and Optive Ò and the preservative-free Vismed Ò had no effect on the goblet cell count, Cationorm increased this count by almost 40%. Interestingly, inflammatory cell infiltration in the stroma was at its lowest following treatment with the preservative-free Cationorm. Cationorm is also the only AT decreasing IL6-and IL8-stimulated secretion by 59% and 74%, respectively. Conclusion: By restoring an adequately hydrated ocular surface environment, the different ATs promote corneal epithelium healing. These data position Cationorm as a promising AT for the management of signs and symptoms of dry eye in patients with mild to moderate dry eye disease presenting chronic subclinical levels of ocular inflammation.

Ocular surface response of two preservative-free cylcosporine A emulsion eye drops in a mouse model of dry eye

“…Evidence supporting the positive effects of excipients for eye drop formulation efficacy were recently published and help explain the good clinical performance of the CaEm containing low doses of cetalkonium chloride and tyloxapol. 21,46 On the other hand, the presence of potentially cytotoxic excipient, such as castor oil, may explain the ocular discomfort and reddened conjunctiva observed in both rabbit and dog studies with both the vehicle and the final formulation of the AEm of CsA, and the ocular burning sensations reported by patients in clinical trials, including patients receiving the vehicle. These tolerability issues might be explained by the presence of 1.25% castor oil in the AEm and its vehicle, which has been demonstrated to exert cytotoxic effects on conjunctival cells.…”

Benefits of cetalkonium chloride cationic oil-in-water nanoemulsions for topical ophthalmic drug delivery

“…[55] The same results were obtained with Cationorm, which contains 0.002% CKC as the cationic agent, and was confirmed in the rabbit following repeated instillations of a 0.05% ciclosporin cationic o/w nanoemulsion. [52,63] The mechanism underlying these observations is currently under evaluation. [64]…”

An in situ hydrogel based on carboxymethyl chitosan and sodium alginate dialdehyde for corneal wound healing after alkali burn

“…[11][12][13][14][15] It's biodegradability may be further enhanced after SA is oxidized to its dialdehyde derivative, sodium alginate dialdehyde (SAD). [16][17][18][19] Our previous studies found that SAD prepared in water phase without chemical crosslinkings could greatly improve the hydrogen biosafety and avoid the toxicity. 20 In this study, we attempt to prepare an in situ hydrogel through aldehyde groups of SAD self-crosslinking with free amino groups of CMCTS without adding any chemical crosslinking components and then studied its function in LSCs transplantation for corneal wound healing after alkali burn.…”