Abstract
Purpose :
It is known that Diabetes mellitus (DM) may cause Diabetic keratopathy (DK), a sight-threatening disease with poor response to conventional therapy. Treatment with growth factors, like nerve growth factor (NGF), can be an effective way to improve corneal epithelial wound healing (CEWH). Nicergoline (NCG), an ergoline derivative, had shown a role in enhance NGF rates in health rat corneas. We hypothesize that NCG is capable of speed up CEWH rates in diabetic rats with DK.
Methods :
Our study is a controlled, blinded, experimental protocol with 48 streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. Animals were randomly divided into 2 groups, one that has received NCG (10mg/kg/day) and another that has received placebo(PCB), both administered through a gavage-feeding needle during 15 days.
It was made an in vivo animal model of corneal epithelial wound (CEW), 21 days after treatment, with a corneal rust ring remover, that has created a 6mm2 central area of CEW. All procedures concerning animals adhered to the ARVO resolution for the care and use of animals in vision research.
With the objective of compare CEWH speed between groups, animals were anesthetized on distinct time intervals (0/12/24/48/72 hours) to take photography(PH) of wound size (WS). The area of CEW was quantified from the PH by using a computer-assisted image analyzer.
Between-group differences of continuous variables were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Probability of complete reepithelization and probability of death were assessed with the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis log-rank test, and cox regression. P values were two-tailed. Statistical significance was set at .05.
Results :
Demographic data are in Table 1. Twelve (50%) animals from the NCG group and 4 (16.7%) from the PCB group completely re-epithelized the cornea within 72 hours (Log-rank = .027). The covariates blood glucose ( BG) (P = .601), weight (W) (P = .322) and diabetes duration (DD) (P = .208) did not influence the survival curve of reepithelization. Figure 1 compares the reepithelialization rate of the two groups. Six (25%) animals in the NCG group and 10 (41.7%) in the PCB group died before 72 hours (Log-rank = .278). The covariates BG (P = .784), W (P = .682) and DD (P = .983) did not influence the survival curve of death. All deaths were from complications of DM
Conclusions :
Our results are consistent with our hypothesis that NCG contributed to speed up CEWH rate in diabetic rats with DK.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.