Lens regeneration in New Zealand albino rabbits after endocapsular cataract extraction.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the regenerative capacity of the adult rabbit lens after removal of a Concanavalin A-induced posterior subcapsular cataract. METHODS: Cataractogenesis was induced by intravitreal injection of Concanavalin A in adult New Zealand albino rabbits. At 7 mo postinjection, the cataracts were removed. Endocapsular lens extraction was performed by phacoemulsification and irrigation/aspiration with Balanced Salt Solution. RESULTS: Postoperatively, lens regeneration was first noted in the Balanced Salt Solution normal lens group at 3 weeks and the Concanavalin A cataract group at 6 weeks. By the 3-mo postoperative examination, lens regrowth, measured by digital image analysis, filled 74.5% of the capsule bag in the Balanced Salt Solution normal lens group and 46.6% in the Concanavalin A cataract group. In the latter group, less lens material was regenerated and at a slower rate than in eyes with extraction of a normal lens. CONCLUSION: This experimental model is the first to show that lens regeneration can occur after removal of cataracts secondary to inflammation.

Concanavalin A-induced posterior subcapsular cataract: a new model of cataractogenesis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of Concanavalin A (Con A) on cataract formation in New Zealand Albino rabbits. Uveitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the eye involving the anterior and/or posterior segments. It may be acute or chronic and is associated with the development of posterior subscapular cataract over time. Con A is a nonspecific inflammatory agent and mitogen for T cells and some B cells. Used extensively in immunogenic studies Con A has been shown to induce uveitis after intravitreal injection in New Zealand Albino rabbits. METHODS: In two separate studies, Con A was injected intracamerally or intravitreally into one eye of 12 New Zealand Albino rabbits and an equal volume of balanced salt solution was injected into the opposite eye as a control. In a third study, the effect of topical steroids after intravitreal injection of Con A was evaluated. In all studies, anterior and posterior inflammation and the development of cataract was monitored by slit lamp biomicroscopy and photography. Cataract formation was also studied histopathologically. RESULTS: Initially, all eyes treated with Con A demonstrated moderate anterior chamber inflammation while eyes treated with balanced salt solution showed no inflammation. Three months after treatment, posterior subcapsular cataracts were present in all rabbit eyes treated with intravitreal Con A. In the third study, topical steroid treatment of Con A-induced inflammation significantly reduced anterior chamber inflammation but had no effect on vitreous humor and posterior subcapsular cataract formation. CONCLUSION: This experimental model was the first to demonstrate the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts after Con-A induced inflammation. The cataract was clinically and histologically similar to human posterior subscapular cataracts.

Lens regeneration in juvenile and adult rabbits measured by image analysis.

Secondary cataract growth commonly occurs after extracapsular cataract extraction. The proliferation of this regrowth occurs at rates related to many factors. In this study, the authors analyzed the amount of lens regeneration after endocapsular lens extraction that leaves the anterior and posterior capsules relatively intact. The analysis was performed in New Zealand albino rabbits with the aid of image analysis measurements in young and adult animals. The effect of low vacuum suction of the anterior capsule on the growth was determined. Lens regeneration was used as a measure of the growth potential of the leftover epithelial cells in the capsule bag. The results showed that lens regeneration was significantly faster in younger rabbits. However, low vacuum suction had no effect on the growth rate. Potential therapeutic agents for preventing secondary cataracts may be better analyzed with image analysis processing of lens regeneration, a precise and rapid measurement technique.

Restoring lens capsule integrity enhances lens regeneration in New Zealand albino rabbits and cats.

In studies conducted by numerous investigators for 150 years, lenses regenerated following endocapsular lens extraction in New Zealand albino rabbits have been irregular in shape, appearing primarily doughnut-shaped as a result of lack of lens growth at the site of the anterior capsulotomy and its adhesion to the posterior capsule. In the present study, we restored the lens capsule integrity by inserting a collagen patch at the time of surgery to seal the anterior capsulotomy and to improve the shape and structure of the regenerated lenses. We then filled the capsule bag with air to prevent adhesions between the anterior and posterior capsule and maintain capsule tautness and shape. Lens regeneration was first noted as early as one to two weeks. Regenerated lens filled approximately 50% of the capsule bag at two weeks and 100% by five weeks. Subsequent growth was in the anterior-posterior direction and measured by A-scan biometry. Lens thickness increased by 0.3 mm per month. The regenerated lenses were spherical with normal cortical structure and a nuclear opacity. In conclusion, restoration of lens capsular integrity with a collagen patch following endocapsular lens extraction enhanced the shape, structure, and growth rate of the regenerated lenses. In addition, lens regeneration was shown to occur in two cats.

Effect of platelet-derived growth factor on rabbit corneal wound healing.

Human recombinant platelet-derived growth factor was evaluated with the use of wound healing models in New Zealand albino rabbits. The efficacy of the platelet-derived growth factor dimers, AA, AB, and BB, was determined in corneal reepithelialization and anterior keratectomy models which examined the healing response in the presence or absence of the basement membrane. All dimers increased the rate of wound healing in both models at 100 microg/ml when compared with control; however, the platelet-derived growth factor-BB isoform showed the most dramatic increase in both studies. The strength of the healing stroma after incision was evaluated by means of a tensile strength model. Histologic evaluation of the stromal wound area after 9 days of healing showed a marked increase in the number of keratocytes within the wound bed of the corneas treated with platelet-derived growth factor-BB when compared with control corneas. In addition, at 9 days, the epithelial plug was still present in the control corneas but had been extruded to the surface by the granulation tissue in the platelet-derived growth factor-BB-treated corneas. These results are indicative of a more advanced stage of healing in treated versus control wounds at 9 days after the operation. A 30% increase in corneal tensile strength versus control was noted after 21 days of healing. Finally, in an in vitro gel contraction assay, platelet-derived growth factor exhibited a dose-dependent effect on the contraction of fibroblasts for doses ranging from 0.01 to 10 ng/ml. These results indicate that platelet-derived growth factor is active in the corneal wound healing process.