title: Periocular FK-506 delays allograft rejection in rat penetrating keratoplasty.
abstract: FK-506 is a new immunosuppressant with the ability to inhibit activation of T-lymphocytes that would be cytolytic to an allograft. We studied periocular injection of FK-506 in a rat penetrating keratoplasty model. Corneas were transplanted from Brown Norway rats into Lewis rat recipients. The transplanted rats received periocular injection of either 0.5 mg/kg FK-506 or an equivalent volume of FK-506 vehicle only. Injections were given 1 day before, at keratoplasty, and every other day after keratoplasty until allograft rejection. The group receiving FK-506 had a significant delay in allograft rejection (p < 0.05). The FK-506 group rejected 12-20 days postkeratoplasty with a mean rejection time (MRT) of 14.3 days, compared with 8-14 days (MRT 11.1 days) for the control group. We conclude that periocular administration of FK-506 is effective in prolonging allograft survival in the rat penetrating keratoplasty model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60153.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dickey
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Cassidy
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Bouchard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007267:Injections; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating / Q000009:adverse effects; D009915:Orbit; D011292:Premedication; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D016559:Tacrolimus