title: Influence of glucocorticosteroids on the biomechanical properties of in-vivo rabbit cornea.
abstract: Understanding corneal biomechanical responses during long-term glucocorticosteroids administration is important in clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to investigate the biomechanical influence of fluorometholone 0.1% eye drops on rabbit cornea. Thirty-eight Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups; a fluorometholone group, a supernatant group and a blank control group. For each rabbit in fluorometholone group, one cornea was treated with fluorometholone 0.1% eye drops four times a day for 8 weeks, while corneas of rabbits in supernatant group were treated in the same frequency with supernatant fraction centrifuged from fluorometholone 0.1% eye drops. The rabbits in the blank control group were not given any treatment. At the end of the 8 week observation period, the rabbits were euthanized and the eyes immediately enucleated and prepared for inflation testing. The experimental pressure-deformation data was used to derive the stress-strain behavior of each eye using an inverse modeling procedure. Comparisons of mechanical stiffness of corneas were conducted among the three groups to determine the influence of fluorometholone. The results showed that corneal stiffness decreased as the fluorometholone administration time prolonged. Comparisons of tangent modulus indicated average stiffness reductions of 34.2% and 33.5% in the fluorometholone group compared to the supernatant and control groups, respectively, at the end of the observation period. The stiffness-reduction effect of fluorometholone on the cornea should be considered in clinical management, especially when administrating it to biomechanically weakened corneas, such as after refractive surgeries and in cases of keratoconus.
authors.affiliation: School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province 325027, China; The Central Hospital of Wuhan, No. 26, Shengli street, Jiang'an District, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430000, China.
authors.forename: Ji-guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Fang-jun
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Akram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joda
authors.forename: Xun-an
authors.initials: XA
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiu-li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Qin-mei
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elsheikh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D003315:Cornea / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005469:Fluorometholone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D008422:Materials Testing; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D005469:Fluorometholone
keywords: BC; CCT; Cornea; E(t); FM; Fluorometholone; GCS; IOP; PCT; RMS; SN; Stress–strain behavior; Tangent modulus; blank control; central corneal thickness; fluorometholone; glucocorticosteroids; intraocular pressure; peripheral corneal thickness; root mean square; supernatant; tangent modulus