Effect of iontophoretic and topical application of antiviral agents in treatment of experimental HSV-1 keratitis in rabbits.
Cathodal (-) iontophoresis of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-adenine 5'-monophosphate (vidarabine monophosphate; Ara-AMP) was performed once daily for 3 days for the treatment of experimental herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) keratitis in rabbit eyes, and the therapeutic efficacy was compared with that of topical treatment of Ara-AMP and idoxuridine (IDU) administered five times daily for 4 days. With the treatment initiated 24 hr after viral inoculation, Ara-AMP cathodal iontophoresis resulted in significant suppression of epithelial and anterior segment disease processes. Topical IDU (0.5%) or Ara-AMP (10%) also significantly improved the disease process when compared to the placebo-treated group; however, iontophoresis of Ara-AMP resulted in a more marked improvement. Slit-lamp examination indicated that iontophoresis did not cause any observable pathologic changes in corneal epithelium, stroma, conjunctiva, or iris of rabbit eyes. This experiment suggests that iontophoresis of Ara-AMP is a safe and effective approach for preventing the development of herpes simplex keratitis in rabbits.
D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D001088:Arabinonucleotides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007065:Idoxuridine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007478:Iontophoresis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007635:Keratitis, Dendritic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011817:Rabbits; D001084:Vidarabine Phosphate / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D001088:Arabinonucleotides; D001084:Vidarabine Phosphate; D007065:Idoxuridine