Oral administration of lumiracoxib reduces choroidal neovascular membrane development in the rat laser-trauma model.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether lumiracoxib, a highly selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor that exhibits anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic properties, can inhibit experimental choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) development induced by focal laser trauma in a well-characterized Brown Norway rat CNVM model.


METHODS
Over a 35-day period, 24 rats received daily oral gavage dosages of 20 mg/kg lumiracoxib in a 0.5% (w/v) suspension of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), while a control group received the 0.5% CMC suspension only. After 7 days, eight laser photocoagulation sites were placed concentrically around the optic disk to induce CNVMs. Thirty-five days later, fundus photography and fluorescein angiography (FA) were performed and eyes were processed for histopathologic analysis.


RESULTS
Masked FA grading of lesion sites revealed a small, but statistically significant difference (P<0.0001) in late stage staining intensity and leakage between the mean group scores of treated (1.4) and control (1.7) eyes. Histopathologic analysis demonstrated that the mean CNVM thickness +/- SD of 38 +/-19 microm (n=24 eyes, 175 photocoagulation sites) in the lumiracoxib-treated animals was reduced by 30% (P<0.001) compared to the CNVM mean thickness+/- SD of 54+/- 20 microm (n=24 eyes, 171 photocoagulation sites) in the control animals.


CONCLUSIONS
Systemic administration of the selective COX-2 inhibitor lumiracoxib results in a partial but significant reduction in CNVM development in the rat laser-trauma model and thus may be clinically beneficial as a potential inhibitor of CNVM formation in exudative age-related macular degeneration.
Hu
Wenzheng
W
Retina Service Research Laboratories, Department of Ophthalmology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Criswell
Mark H
MH
Ottlecz
Anna
A
Cornell
Tammy L
TL
Danis
Ronald P
RP
Lambrou
George N
GN
Ciulla
Thomas A
TA
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004008:Diclofenac / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000601:surgery; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN
D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D004008:Diclofenac; C473384:lumiracoxib