title: Revisiting the Role of the Myofibroblast in Socket Surgery: An Immunohistochemical Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the impact of a single injection of various anti-inflammatory, antimitotic, and antiangiogenic agents on the cell count of myofibroblasts in an eviscerated socket.
  
  
  METHODS
  One eye from 15 skeletally mature New Zealand white rabbits was eviscerated, and the rabbits were divided into 5 groups. Each group of 3 rabbits received a 0.1 ml subconjunctival injection of a different agent. Group I received bevacizumab 25 mg/ml, group II received triamcinolone 40 mg/ml, group III received 5-fluorouracil 50 mg/ml, group IV received mitomycin-C 0.4 mg/ml, while group V was the control group and received no injections. The animals were euthanized 19 days after evisceration and conjunctival samples were submitted for histopathological examination. Monoclonal α-smooth muscle actin antibody was applied, and the mean of 5 readings of the number of myofibroblasts was recorded in each slide.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean count of myofibroblasts was highest for the control group and all groups achieved a statistically significant reduction in myofibroblast count compared with the control group. Sorting the means showed that Group IV (mitomycin-C) achieved the lowest mean value (p = 0.000006) followed by triamcinolone (p = 0.00048), while group I (bevacizumab) achieved the least reduction in myofibroblast count (p = 0.00148).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Until newer antimyofibroblast medications and antibodies are commercially available, a single injection of mitomycin-C or triamcinolone during surgery achieves the highest mean reduction of myofibroblast count.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology, †Medical Student, and ‡Department of Pathology, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hatem A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Tawfik
authors.forename: Mohamed H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Abdulhafez
authors.forename: Yousef A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Fouad
authors.forename: Hazem O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Rashed
authors.forename: Wesam M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Osman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002452:Cell Count; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D058628:Myofibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011817:Rabbits; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents