Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Retinal Pigment Epithelium Transplantation in a Non-human Primate Model for Degenerative Retinal Diseases
Published on: June 14, 2021
Effect of low-dose latrunculin B on anterior segment physiologic features in the monkey eye
Mehmet Okka1, Baohe Tian, Paul L Kaufman
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, 53792-3284, USA.
Objectives:
To determine if low doses of topical latrunculin B (LAT-B) will increase outflow facility and decrease intraocular pressure without damaging the cornea and if they will inhibit miotic and accommodative responses to pilocarpine in monkeys.
Methods:
We measured intraocular pressure (Goldmann tonometry) before and after 1 and 9 doses of 0.005% and 0.01% topical LAT-B and vehicle given twice daily on successive weeks; outflow facility (perfusion) following 15 doses; central corneal thickness (ultrasonic pachymetry) before and after 1 and 9 doses of 0.01% LAT-B and vehicle; pupillary diameter (calipers); and accommodation (refractometry) before and after 1 dose of 0.005% and 0.02% LAT-B.
Results:
Latrunculin-B dose-dependently decreased intraocular pressure, multiple doses more than a single dose. Maximal mean +/- SEM hypotension after 1 dose was 2.5 +/- 0.3 mm Hg (0.005% LAT-B; n = 8; P<.001) or 2.7 +/- 0.6 mm Hg (0.01% LAT-B; n = 8; P<.005); maximal mean +/- SEM hypotension after 9 doses was 3.2 +/- 0.5 mm Hg (0.005% LAT-B; n = 8; P<.001) or 4.4 +/- 0.6 mm Hg (0.01% LAT-B; n = 8; P<.001). Outflow facility was increased by mean +/- SEM 75% +/- 13% (n = 7; P<.005). Central corneal thickness was not changed after 1 or 9 doses of 0.01% LAT-B. Miotic and accommodative responses to intramuscular pilocarpine were dose-dependently inhibited. With 0.02% LAT-B, inhibition of miosis was substantial, whereas the inhibition of accommodation was only about 25%. With 0.005% LAT-B, the effects were trivial.
Conclusions:
In ocular normotensive monkeys, 0.005% and 0.01% LAT-B administered topically increases outflow facility and/or decreases intraocular pressure without corneal effects. Multiple doses reduce intraocular pressure more than a single dose. Latrunculin-B dose-dependently relaxes the iris sphincter and ciliary muscle, with some separation of miotic and accommodative effects. Clinical Relevance Multiple treatments with low topical doses of LAT-B may substantially reduce outflow resistance in eyes with glaucoma without adversely affecting the cornea.
