1. Effects of commercial amniotic membrane extract on the re-epithelialization time and the early expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in cats with experimentally induced corneal ulcers.
- Author
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Silveira BC, Ribeiro AP, Pizzinatto FD, Lobo PM, Miranda HR, and de Assis Pereira N
- Subjects
- Cats, Animals, Re-Epithelialization, Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 genetics, Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 metabolism, Amnion transplantation, Cornea, Corneal Ulcer drug therapy, Corneal Ulcer veterinary, Keratitis veterinary, Corneal Injuries veterinary, Cat Diseases
- Abstract
Objectives: To investigate whether a commercially available amniotic membrane extract (AME) can accelerate corneal wound healing and suppress the early expression of MMP-9 in the tears of cats with experimentally induced superficial ulcerative keratitis., Procedures: A total number of 16 cats were included. At the end of keratectomy, cats in the treatment group (TG, n = 8) received 40 μl of AME (EyeQ® Amniotic Eye Drops, Vetrix®) four times daily, while cats in the control group (CG, n = 8) received 40 μl of saline at the same time points. Tears were collected 24 and 48 h after keratectomy, and the total MMP-9 was quantified by ELISA., Results: The corneal re-epithelialization rate did not differ between groups (p = .26), being 0.48 ± 0.05 mm
2 /h in the CG and 0.41 ± 0.03 mm2 /h in the TG. Similarly, the average time to achieve corneal wound healing did not differ between groups (p = .25) and was 61.50 ± 3.54 h in the CG and 70.50 ± 6.71 h in the TG. The dimensions of the ulcerated areas also did not differ at any time point between the groups (p > .05). In both groups, corneas healed without scarring, pigmentation, or vascularization. The expression of MMP-9 in the tears was similar in both groups at 24 h post-keratectomy, with a slight decrease at 48 h (p > .05)., Conclusions: The instillation of a commercial AME (EyeQ®) is safe, but it did not decrease the corneal re-epithelialization time or the early expression of MMP-9 in the tears of cats with experimentally induced superficial ulcerative keratitis in this study., (© 2022 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)- Published
- 2023
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