Abstract
Purpose :
Corneal neovascularization, characterized by the abnormal growth of blood vessels (BVs) and lymphatic vessels (LVs) into the cornea reduces corneal transparency as well as visual acuity and is a major risk factor for graft rejection after subsequent corneal transplantation. Fine needle diathermy (FND) is one technique to regress mature corneal vessels. Aganirsen, a 25mer antisense oligonucleotide targeting insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), was developed to inhibit corneal BVs in phase II and III trials. This study aims to assess whether FND combined with Aganirsen is more effective regressing corneal BVs and LVs compared to FND alone.
Methods :
Three 11-0 nylon sutures were placed intrastromally in Balb/c mice. Mice were treated with FND (1 W with soft-coagulating mode) and topical Aganirsen eye drops or FND combined with saline as controls (3μl/drop, 3 times/day, 14days, n=10). At the end of the experiment, corneal BVs and LVs were quantified by morphological assessment of CD31 and LYVE-1 positive vessels.
Results :
Corneal BVs were significantly reduced in the Aganirsen and FND combination group compared to controls (P<0.05). Moreover, Aganirsen and FND combination group significantly decreased corneal LVs compared to controls (P<0.05).
Conclusions :
Aganirsen combined with FND can regress not only hemangiogenesis but also lymphangiogenesis in the cornea in vivo. This suggests that Aganirsen combined with FND is a promising option to treat prevascularized corneas.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.