title: Apoptotic effects of topical antiglaucoma medications on conjunctival epithelium in glaucoma patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we aimed to investigate the apoptotic effects of topical antiglaucoma medications on the conjunctival epithelium.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 65 patients were included in the study. Thirty patients were included in the first group who had received antiglaucomatous therapy before trabeculectomy. In the second group, 20 patients who had received no drugs before trabeculectomy were included, while the third group underwent only cataract surgery as control. During the surgery, 2 x 4 mm conjunctival samples were harvested from the upper bulbar conjunctiva. The mean apoptosis rate was calculated by determining apoptosis at conjunctival epithelium using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean apoptosis rate was 0.537 ± 0.369 (0.026 ± 0.962) in group 1, 0.139 ± 0.162 (0.005 ± 0.676) in group 2, and 0.078 ± 0.035 (0.035 ± 0.142) in the control group (group 3). The mean apoptosis rate was significantly higher in the first group than the other 2 groups (p = 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Apoptotic effects of topical antiglaucoma drugs on the conjunctival epithelial cells were found. However, our results revealed that the number of medications, duration of medication, and type of glaucoma had no effect on the apoptotic effect.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Ophthalmology, Cumhuriyet University, School of Medicine, Sivas - Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa Kemal
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Arici
authors.forename: Dilek Sema
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Arici
authors.forename: Ayşe Vural
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Ozeç
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dursun
authors.forename: Mustafa Ilker
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Toker
authors.forename: Haydar
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Erdoğan
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001706:Biopsy; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000473:pathology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology*; D017889:Exfoliation Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents