Abstract
Purpose :
Nepafenac, the only prodrug NSAID, has not been evaluated for use in dogs, cats or horses. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the ex-vivo transcorneal permeation of nepafenac 0.1% and compare its permeability profile across the porcine, canine, equine and feline corneas.
Methods :
Fresh corneas were obtained from porcine, equine, canine and feline eyes free from corneal disease that were euthanized for reasons unrelated to this study. Corneal buttons (8 mm) were dissected using standard eye bank technique within 2 hours of enucleation. Corneas were mounted horizontally between the donor and the receiving compartments of an all-glass modified Franz diffusion cell (0.20cm2), which were maintained at 37°C. The donor compartment was filled with 0.1 mL of nepafenac 0.1% formulation (Nevanac, Alcon Laboratories, Inc Fort Worth, Texas, USA) n=4 per species studied. Samples (1ml phosphate buffered saline pH 7.4) were removed from the receiving compartment at set times: 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24 hours. High-performance liquid chromatography was used for nepafenac analysis concentration. The cornea and residual solutions were collected at the end of the experiment. Permeability parameters were determined and compared with ANOVA statistical analysis (P<0.05).
Results :
Mean permeation rates (μg/cm2/hr ± SEM) were 0.752 ± 0.116, 1.281 ± 0.247, 0.944 ± 0.098 and 2.494 ±0.171 for the porcine, canine, equine and feline corneas, respectively. Permeation rate of nepafenac 0.1% of feline corneas was significantly greater than other species (p<0.05).
Conclusions :
The results showed that 0.1% Nepafenac is able to permeate the cornea in normal porcine, canine, feline and equine eyes in an ex-vivo model. The data obtained demonstrated an interspecies difference with the feline cornea showing a significant increase in the permeation rate which suggests a potential alternative to treat intraocular inflammation in this species.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.