Effect of Cortisone on Horse Serum Uveitis in Rabbits

Treatment of Eye Disorders With Anti‐inflammatory Steroids

“…I t was shown early that cortisone had no bactericidal action and no effect on hypersensitive state in the eye for, although it blocked the inflammatory evidences of an anaphylactic or allergic reaction, once it was withdrawn the ocular tissues reacted in their previous hypersensitive manner if contact with specific antigen was re-established. This was demonstrated by Woods (1950) and by Biegel (1951).…”

“…I t is possible that many of the beneficial effects of ACTH and cortisone in the treatment of ocular disease may be attributed to this blockage of the exudative-tissue reaction which, in the eye, may have catastrophic results. There is general agreement in the experimental ocular literature that cortisone inhibits the cellular infiltration associated with inflammation and also the formation of granulation tissue in the healing process in the eye (Woods, 1950, Bourquin, 1951Biegel, 1951;and Woods and Wood, 1952). Leopold et al (1951) found that cortisone interfered, although only slightly, with the formation of fibroblast in the corneal stroma of rabbits after experimental wounds, an effect observed by these workers to be less obvious with the topical application of hormone than with subconjunctival injection.…”

“…Capillary permeability was decreased; cellular exudation reduced; and granulation-tissue formation, fibroblastic reaction, and the formation of new vessels were inhibited. The steroid also inhibited the ocular inflammatory response to direct organismal infection, to anaphylactic or allergic reactions, and to the injection into the eyes of nonbacterial irritants such as glycerin, jequirity, trimethylamine, colchicine, or talc (Leopold el d., 1951 ;Biegel, 1951; Woods, 1950; Bourquin, 1950;and Fremann and Overhoff, 1956). I t was shown early that cortisone had no bactericidal action and no effect on hypersensitive state in the eye for, although it blocked the inflammatory evidences of an anaphylactic or allergic reaction, once it was withdrawn the ocular tissues reacted in their previous hypersensitive manner if contact with specific antigen was re-established.…”

Experimental Uveitis

“…Eight days after injection the same histopathologic findings as stated in the above group are presented by two eyes, the remaining more extensively involved ones exhibiting a panophthalmic reaction (table 1, fig. 29 and 30). No difference in the cellular elements exists between the former two eyes and those of the seventh day group except that cells with slightly eccentrically situated nuclei may be found, i. e. plasmacytoid cells are beginning to appear (table 2).…”

The Clinical Value of Cortisone and ACTH in Ocular Disease: A Preliminary Assessment

“…At which level these effects occur is again unknown; presumably, however, the hormone becomes effective at the tissuelevel where the inflammatory responses to irritation are (within limits) temporarily blocked. In the eye, this inhibition affects not only the ocular inflammatory response to direct organismal infection (Leopold and others, 1951) or anaphylactic or allergic reactions arising therefrom (Woods, 1950;Biegel, 1951), but also to nonbacterial irritants injected into the eye, such as glycerine or jequirity (Woods, 1950), or talc (Bourquin, 1951. It is to be remembered that the hormone is in no sense bactericidal, and it has been amply demonstrated, particularly in the eye, that it has no effect on the hypersensitive state, for although it blocks the inflammatory evidences of an anaphylactic or allergic reaction, once it is withdrawn the ocular tissues react in their previous hypersensitive manner if contact with the specific antigen is re-established (Woods, 1950, with the ocular reaction to tuberculin; Biegel, 1951, with horse serum uveitis in rabbits).…”