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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Quantification of the Immunosuppressant Tacrolimus on Dried Blood Spots Using LC-MS/MS
Published on: November 8, 2015
Effects of intravitreal injection of tacrolimus (FK506) in experimental uveitis
Tomoaki Ishikawa1, Hideyuki Hokama, Yoshiaki Katagiri
1Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. tom@tokyo-med.ac.jp
Purpose:
To examine the immunosuppressive and neuroprotective effects of intravitreal injection of tacrolimus in experimental uveitis.
Methods:
Tacrolimus (40 microg) was injected intravitreally in rabbits to examine safety. Experimental uveitis was induced in rabbits by systemic immunization with bovine serum albumin (BSA) followed by intravitreal challenge with BSA. On day 1 after BSA challenge, tacrolimus (20 or 40 microg) or betamethasone (400 microg) was injected intravitreally in one eye and balanced salt solution in the contralateral eye. The eyes were evaluated by slit-lamp biomicroscopy, electroretinography, and histopathology.
Results:
No local or systemic adverse reaction was observed in normal rabbits. In experimental uveitis, intravitreal injection of tacrolimus significantly reduced intraocular inflammation in histopathological analysis (p < 0.03). Amplitudes on the electroretinogram were restored (p < 0.01), and retinal thickness was preserved in tacrolimus-treated eyes (p < 0.03).
Conclusions:
In experimental uveitis, intravitreal injection of tacrolimus effectively suppresses ocular inflammation and preserves retinal architecture.
