June 2022
Volume 63, Issue 7
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2022
Evaluation of delayed/chronic corneal toxicity and clinical manifestations for 4-month after mustard gas exposure to rabbit eyes in vivo
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Ratnakar Tripathi
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
    Ophthalmology, Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Nishant Rajiv Sinha
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
    Ophthalmology, Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Praveen Kumar Balne
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
    Ophthalmology, Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Alexandria Hofmann
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
    Ophthalmology, Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Sydney L. Green
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Laila A Suleaiman
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Prashant Sinha
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
    Ophthalmology, Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Nathan P Hesemann
    Ophthalmology, Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, United States
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Shyam S Chaurasia
    Ophthalmology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
  • Rajiv R Mohan
    Ophthalmology, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, United States
    Ophthalmology, Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Ratnakar Tripathi None; Nishant Sinha None; Praveen Balne None; Alexandria Hofmann None; Sydney Green None; Laila Suleaiman None; Prashant Sinha None; Nathan P Hesemann None; Shyam Chaurasia None; Rajiv Mohan None
  • Footnotes
    Support  NEI/NIH U01EY031650, R01EY017294, R01EY030774, 1I01BX00357 and IK6BX005646
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2022, Vol.63, 115 – A0213. doi:
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    • Get Citation

      Ratnakar Tripathi, Nishant Rajiv Sinha, Praveen Kumar Balne, Alexandria Hofmann, Sydney L. Green, Laila A Suleaiman, Prashant Sinha, Nathan P Hesemann, Shyam S Chaurasia, Rajiv R Mohan; Evaluation of delayed/chronic corneal toxicity and clinical manifestations for 4-month after mustard gas exposure to rabbit eyes in vivo. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2022;63(7):115 – A0213.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose : Sulfur mustard (SM) gas exposure to the eye causes severe toxicity to the cornea called mustard gas keratopathy (MGK). This study investigated delayed/chronic corneal toxicity and clinical manifestations at 1-, 2-, and 4-months in rabbit eyes in vivo exposed to SM.

Methods : The study was approved by the institutional animal care and use committee and followed ARVO guidelines. New Zealand White rabbits (n = 36) were exposed to SM vapor at a target concentration of 200 mg-min/m3 for 8 minutes. Clinical eye manifestations in live rabbits were performed with the slit-lamp microscope, confocal HRT3 microscope, Fante's grading system, fluorescein staining, Schirmer’s tests, pachymetry, applanation tonometry, and optical coherence tomography. At the endpoints, rabbits were humanely euthanized, and corneas were collected for histological, molecular, and cellular analyses.

Results : SM exposed rabbit corneas showed a significant corneal haze (Fante’s scores 2-4; p<0.0001), central corneal thickness (749-560 ± 40.7; p<0.0001), tear flow (18-21± 2.3 p<0.0001), and corneal edema, decreased in keratocyte density, loss of endothelium cell number and corneal neovascularization (NV) compared to naïve untreated control corneas up to 2-month post-SM exposure. At 4-month post-SM exposure, rabbit corneas developed additional pathologies including severe ulcer of varying sizes, epithelial defects, and NV at the peri-limbal plexus regions. Also, few of the SM-exposed rabbit eyes showed ruptured cornea with iris plugged the hole and prolapsed. In these rabbits, significantly decreased central corneal thickness (p<0.001) and severe epithelium-erosion were observed. The clinical quantitative analyses matched typical delayed/chronic corneal pathology. Histological and molecular studies are underway.

Conclusions : Mustard gas exposure to eyes cause severe delayed/chronic corneal toxicity in rabbits in vivo. Additional analysis is warranted.

This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.

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