title: The impact of subconjuctivally injected EGF and VEGF inhibitors on experimental corneal neovascularization in rat model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the inhibitory effect of subconjunctival application of VEGF antibodies bevacizumab, ranibizumab, pegaptanib, and HER2 antibody trastuzumab on corneal neovascularization in a rat model of experimental corneal neovascularization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty male Wistar albino rats were included in the study. A chemical burn was induced in central cornea of one eye of the rats by a 75% silver nitrate and 25% potassium nitrate stick. Rats were randomly divided into five groups so that each group contained 6 subjects. Right after the chemical burn, 0.1 ml serum physiologic was injected subconjuctivally in control group (group 1). 1.25 mg/0.05 ml bevacizumab was injected in group 2; 1.2 mg/0.1 ml trastuzumab was injected in group 3; 0.5 mg/0.05 ml ranibizumab was injected in group-4; and 0.3 mg/0.1 ml pegaptanib was injected in group 5. On the 8th day of the experiment, rat corneas were photographed by digital photo-camera. Later, eyes of the sacrificed rats were enucleated and corneal speciements were histopathologically analyzed. The percentages of neovascularization on corneal photographs were examined with digital image analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of corneal neovascularization in all treatment groups was found to be significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.05). Bevacizumab was found to be more effective than all other agents (p < 0.05). While the degree of inflammation and vascularization in bevacizumab and trastuzumab groups were significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.05), the difference was not significant in ranibizumab and pegaptanib groups (p > 0.05). In all treatment groups, fibroblast intensity was significantly lower than the control group. In terms of corneal thickness, no significant difference was observed between treatment and control groups (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bevacizumab, ranibizumab, pegaptanib, and trastuzumab were found effective for the inhibition of corneal NV. In our study we detected that the most effective agent was bevacizumab.
authors: Ophthalmology Department,Tokat State Hospital, Turkey. endersener55@yahoo.com
authors: Ender
authors: E
authors: Sener
authors: Nusen
authors: N
authors: Yuksel
authors: Demir Kursat
authors: DK
authors: Yildiz
authors: Bulent
authors: B
authors: Yilmaz
authors: Ozdemir
authors: O
authors: Ozdemir
authors: Yusuf
authors: Y
authors: Caglar
authors: Esra
authors: E
authors: Degirmenci
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D003228:Conjunctiva; D016510:Corneal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C495058:pegaptanib