title: Prostaglandin analogs and blood-aqueous barrier integrity: a flare cell meter study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study, with an objective method, inflammation of the anterior segment of the glaucomatous eye after treatment with latanoprost, travoprost and bimatoprost.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma aged between 38 and 76 years (mean 64.0 +/- 12.2) were randomly assigned to latanoprost 0.005, travoprost 0.004 and bimatoprost 0.03%. The study period lasted 6 months. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured every 2 weeks. We studied the intraocular inflammation before and after 3 and 6 months of therapy with an instrument composed of a He-Ne laser beam system, a photomultiplier mounted on a slitlamp microscope and a computer. This flare meter allows objective determination of the flare and the number of cells in the aqueous of the anterior chamber.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the baseline, IOP was 26.4 +/- 3.6 mm Hg. After 3 months of treatment, mean IOP in the latanoprost group was 17.9 +/- 0.3 mm Hg (p < 0.001) with a mean cellularity of 12.638 +/- 3.284 photons/ms (p < 0.001). The travoprost group had an IOP of 17.2 +/- 0.3 mm Hg (p < 0.001) with a cellularity of 9.719 +/- 1.927 photons/ms (0.001). Finally, IOP in the bimatoprost group was 17.6 +/- 0.5 mm Hg (p < 0.001) with a cellularity of 6.138 +/- 1.475 photons/ms (p < 0.032). After 6 months of treatment, IOP in the latanoprost group was 18.1 +/- 0.3 (p < 0.001), in the travoprost group 17.3 +/- 0.3 (p < 0.001) and in the bimatoprost group 17.7 +/- 0.5 mm Hg (p < 0.001), whereas cellularity was 11.838 +/- 3.218 (p < 0.001), 8.950 +/- 3.692 (p < 0.001) and 7.617 +/- 2.603 photons/ms (p < 0.001), respectively. After 3 months, the travoprost (p < 0.013) and the bimatoprost groups (p < 0.001) had less flare compared with the latanoprost group and this remained so even at 6 months. When we compared the travoprost group with the bimatoprost group, we found significantly less flare at 3 months in the bimatoprost group (p < 0.001) but not at 6 months (p < 0.246).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The flare meter analysis shows that the eyes treated with bimatoprost and travoprost have a less significantly broken blood-aqueous barrier and their anterior chamber is also significantly less inflamed.
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Department of Surgical Science 'A. Valsalva', Ophthalmology Service, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cellini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caramazza
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bonsanto
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bernabini
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Campos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000577:Amides; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000473:pathology; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000166:cytology; D000069580:Bimatoprost; D018916:Blood-Aqueous Barrier / Q000187:drug effects*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003008:Cloprostenol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D000077338:Latanoprost; D008055:Lipids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011461:Prostaglandins F, Synthetic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069557:Travoprost; D014606:Uveitis, Anterior / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D008055:Lipids; D011461:Prostaglandins F, Synthetic; D003008:Cloprostenol; D000077338:Latanoprost; D000069580:Bimatoprost; D000069557:Travoprost