Ocular Surface Disease in Rodents (Guinea Pigs, Mice, Rats, Chinchillas)

Preclinical animal studies provide valuable opportunities to better understand human diseases and contribute to major advances in medicine. This review provides a comprehensive overview of ocular parameters in humans and selected animals, with a focus on the ocular surface, detailing species differences in ocular surface anatomy, physiology, tear film dynamics and tear film composition. We describe major pitfalls that tremendously limit the translational potential of traditional laboratory animals (i.e., rabbits, mice, and rats) in ophthalmic research, and highlight the benefits of integrating companion dogs with clinical analogues to human diseases into preclinical pharmacology studies. This One Health approach can help accelerate and improve the framework in which ophthalmic research is translated to the human clinic. Studies can be conducted in canine subjects with naturally occurring or noninvasively induced ocular surface disorders (e.g., dry eye disease, conjunctivitis), reviewed herein, and tear fluid can be easily retrieved from canine eyes for various bioanalytical purposes. In this review, we discuss common tear collection methods, including capillary tubes and Schirmer tear strips, and provide guidelines for tear sampling and extraction to improve the reliability of analyte quantification (drugs, proteins, others).

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“…280 In contrast, naturally acquired ocular surface pathology is much less common in rabbits 281,282 and is rare in mice and rats. [283][284][285]…”

Section: F I G U R Ementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spontaneous ocular surface disorders are common in dogs and represent one of the major causes for referral visits to veterinary practitioners 280 . In contrast, naturally acquired ocular surface pathology is much less common in rabbits 281,282 and is rare in mice and rats 283–285 …”

Section: Spontaneous and Experimental Models Of Ocular Surface Disordmentioning

confidence: 99%

An eye on the dog as the scientist's best friend for translational research in ophthalmology: Focus on the ocular surface

Sebbag

Mochel

2020

Medicinal Research Reviews

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“…In ophthalmology, the canine ocular anatomy is more similar to humans than small laboratory animals and some spontaneously occurring ocular surface diseases are comparable in both canine and human species [ 29 ]. In contrast, naturally acquired ocular surface pathology is much less common in rabbits [ 30 ] and is rare in mice and rats [ 31 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dexmedetomidine and Tear Production: Evaluation in Dogs as Spontaneous Model for Ocular Surface Disorders

Pietro

Giannetto

Falcone

et al. 2021

Veterinary Sciences

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Tear film provides lubrication and protection to the ocular surface. The sedation reduces tear production, often leading to perioperative exposure keratopathy. The aim of the present study was to report the effects of intramuscular dexmedetomidine on canine tear production, measured by STT-1, for an experimental period of 8 h after sedation. Ten dogs who underwent sedation for routine radiologic assessment were recruited for the study. In all animals, tear production in right and left eyes was measured 15 min before sedation (T0: basal values) and 20 min (T20), 1 h (T1), 2 h (T2), 4 h (T4) and 8 h (T8) after drug administration. Analysis of variance and post hoc Bonferroni test (p < 0.05) were performed. A significant effect of time on canine tear production was found. The tear production returned to basal values at T8. So, it is recommended to treat the canine eyes with tear substitutes during and up to 12 h after sedation.

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“…from ocular swabs was already reported in several mammalian species. 32,34,35 The limitations of the present study were the small number of animals in the study. The study also lacks an antibiotic sensitivity analysis, which is recommended for additional studies in this field.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 82%

Cytological and microbiological evaluation of conjunctiva in camels with and without conjunctivitis

Shawaf

Hussen

2022

Veterinary Ophthalmology

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Objective To describe the cytological analysis of conjunctiva from normal camels and camels with bacterial conjunctivitis. Animals studied This study was conducted on 7 normal camels and 15 camels affected with conjunctivitis. The affected camels had a history of conjunctivitis with signs including chemosis, blepharospasm, frequent blinking, and mild‐to‐moderate serous, mucoid, or purulent ocular discharge. Procedures Bacterial swabs were collected from the inferior conjunctival sac of the affected eye without topical anesthetics. Conjunctival smears were obtained from the conjunctival surface for cytological analysis. Results The cellular analysis of ocular smears revealed a higher percentage of basal cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages in camels with conjunctivitis compared with normal camels. In contrast to this, smears from normal camels showed an increased percentage of superficial epithelial cells compared with affected camels. The microbiological assessment of conjunctival swabs collected from affected animals identified a bacterial growth of Staphylococcus aureus., Bacillus sp., Streptococcus sp., Enterococcus faecium., Staphylococcus sp., Corynebacterium sp., Coryne pseudotuberculosis., Saprophytica, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulagaris, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conclusions It was observed that bacterial conjunctivitis in camels was associated with increased percentages of basal epithelial cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages compared with normal camels, while normal camels showed an increased percentage of superficial epithelial cells compared with affected camels.

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Ocular Surface Disease in Rodents (Guinea Pigs, Mice, Rats, Chinchillas)

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

An eye on the dog as the scientist's best friend for translational research in ophthalmology: Focus on the ocular surface

An eye on the dog as the scientist's best friend for translational research in ophthalmology: Focus on the ocular surface

Dexmedetomidine and Tear Production: Evaluation in Dogs as Spontaneous Model for Ocular Surface Disorders

Cytological and microbiological evaluation of conjunctiva in camels with and without conjunctivitis

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