title: Development of experimental chronic intraocular hypertension in the rabbit.
abstract: There are many unanswered questions about chronic glaucoma which cannot be investigated in the available animal models. The present experiments were designed to develop a rabbit model of chronic intraocular hypertension with characteristics similar to human chronic glaucoma by ligating vortex veins or by making single or multiple intraocular injections of 0.5% or 1% alpha-chymotrypsin, 20% chondroitin sulphate, 2% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, 2% sodium carboxymethylcellulose or 1% or 2% methylcellulose. Evaluation was based on the clinical findings, intraocular pressure and the retrograde axoplasmic transport function of the optic nerve using a horseradish peroxidase histochemical technique. Most methods either failed to produce moderate chronic intraocular hypertension or were associated with other complications. However, a reliable and relatively long period (eight weeks) of intraocular hypertension was developed by a series of four intra-anterior chamber injections of 1% or 2% methylcellulose. This model has been proved suitable for the study of structural and functional damage to the retina and optic nerve caused by chronic glaucoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical College, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000867:Anterior Chamber; D002452:Cell Count; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008747:Methylcellulose; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D008747:Methylcellulose