IOVS Applied and Environmental Microbiology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

(Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2008;49:1151-1156.)
© 2008 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
DOI:  10.1167/iovs.07-0932
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Giansanti, F.
Right arrow Articles by Menchini, U.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Giansanti, F.
Right arrow Articles by Menchini, U.

A Pilot Study on Ocular Safety of Intravitreal Infliximab in a Rabbit Model

Fabrizio Giansanti,1 Matteo Ramazzotti,2 Lorenzo Vannozzi,1 Emilio Rapizzi,1 Tito Fiore,3 Barbara Iaccheri,3 Donatella Degl' Innocenti,2 Daniela Moncini,4 and Ugo Menchini1

1From the Departments of Oto-Neuro-Ophthalmological Surgical Sciences, Eye Clinic, 2Biochemical Sciences, and 4Human Pathology and Oncology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; and the 3Eye Clinic, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

PURPOSE. To determine whether infliximab may be used safely as an intraocular drug, the ocular safety of intravitreal infliximab in rabbits was studied by clinical examination, electroretinography (ERG), and histology in rabbits.

METHODS. Twelve New Zealand albino rabbits were selected for this study. Different infliximab doses, namely 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, and 3.3 mg in 0.1 mL, were injected intravitreally into one eye each of three rabbits. As a control, the vehicle solution was injected into the fellow eye of each animal. Eye clinical examination and ERG recordings were made before and 2, 6, and 12 weeks after injection. Eventually, the rabbits were humanely killed, and the retinas were examined by light microscopy. In addition, the elimination half-life of the drug in the vitreous was assessed.

RESULTS. Slit lamp biomicroscopy, indirect funduscopy, and ERG evidenced no significant differences between control and infliximab-injected eyes in this rabbit model, at any of the tested doses. Histologic examination revealed no retinal abnormality in the rabbits injected with 1 mg and 1.7 mg intravitreal infliximab. In two of three eyes injected with 3.3 mg infliximab, significant edema of the nerve fibers was detected compared with the control group. The half-life of the drug was estimated to be 8.5 days.

CONCLUSIONS. These results indicate that infliximab may be a safe intravitreal drug in the rabbit model at a dose of up to 1.7 mg. If proven safe and efficacious in further studies, intravitreal injection of infliximab could be considered an alternative to systemic administration in selected patients.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 IOVSHome page
R. T. Ramadan, A. L. Moyer, and M. C. Callegan
A Role for Tumor Necrosis Factor-{alpha} in Experimental Bacillus cereus Endophthalmitis Pathogenesis
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., October 1, 2008; 49(10): 4482 - 4489.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology