Intraocular pressure-lowering activity of topical application of Aegle marmelos fruit extract in experimental animal models.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was designed to evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering activity of topical application of the aqueous extract of Aegle marmelos fruit in experimental animal models.


METHODS
New Zealand white rabbits with normal and experimentally elevated IOP using water loading and steroid-induced models were included in this study. The IOP-lowering effect of A. marmelos fruit extract in rabbits with experimentally elevated IOP was also compared with that of timolol 0.25%.


RESULTS
In rabbits with normal IOP, the A. marmelos fruit extract at a concentration of 1% showed the maximum IOP-lowering effect with 22.81% reduction from baseline IOP. The maximum IOP reduction achieved in water loading and steroid-induced models with the same concentration of A. marmelos was 27.57 and 28.41% from baseline, respectively. The efficacy was comparable to that of timolol after 45 min of water loading in the water loading model, and during the first 2 h of treatment in the steroid-induced model.


CONCLUSIONS
A. marmelos fruit extract showed significant IOP-lowering activity in experimental animal models.
Agarwal
Renu
R
Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, New Delhi 110017, India.
Gupta
Suresh Kumar
SK
Srivastava
Sushma
S
Saxena
Rohit
R
Agrawal
S S
SS
D000287:Administration, Topical; D045471:Aegle / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005638:Fruit; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011817:Rabbits; D013999:Timolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013999:Timolol