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Glucocorticoid eye drops inhibit growth in the newborn rabbit
Maria Kugelberg1, Kayvan Shafiei, Claes Ohlsson
1St. Erik's Eye Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. m.kugelberg@sankterik.se
Aim:
To investigate if postoperative treatment with dexamethasone eye drops has the capacity to affect longitudinal growth in newborn rabbits.
Methods:
Thirty-four male and female rabbits had clear lens extraction performed in one eye at 3 wk of age and were then treated either intensively (group 1) or less intensively (group 2) with de-escalating doses of dexamethasone eye drops for 8 wk (average doses 0.27 and 0.10 mg/kg body weight/day, respectively). The control group (group 3) received vehicle eye drops only. Body weight and crown-rump length were recorded every week. After 8 wk of treatment, all rabbits were killed and the left femur was measured.
Results:
Rabbits treated with dexamethasone eye drops gained weight slower (711+/-42 and 989+/-153 g weight increase for groups 1 and 2, respectively) than control animals (group 3; 1224+/-87 g weight increase; p<0.001 vs group 1, p<0.01 vs group 2). Longitudinal growth, determined as increase in crown-rump and femur lengths, was impaired by dexamethasone eye drops in a dose-dependent way. Crown-rump length increased by 8.25+/-0.86, 10.90+/-1.19 and 15.35+/-1.31 cm in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p<0.001 for all comparisons). At endpoint, i.e. after 8 wk of treatment, the average femur length was 6.36+/-0.21, 7.39+/-0.27 and 8.37+/-0.28 cm in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p<0.001 for all comparisons).
Conclusion:
Dexamethasone, administered topically as eye drops, has systemic effects and impairs longitudinal growth in young rabbits. Therefore, we propose that growth should be closely monitored in all children intensively treated with glucocorticoid eye drops.
Insights
Topical dexamethasone eye drops significantly impaired longitudinal growth and weight gain in young rabbits. This suggests growth monitoring is crucial for children receiving intensive glucocorticoid eye drop treatment.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Glucocorticoids are widely used for ocular inflammation.
- Systemic absorption of topical corticosteroids can occur.
- Potential impact on growth in pediatric patients is a concern.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of topical dexamethasone eye drops on longitudinal growth in newborn rabbits.
- To determine if dexamethasone administration impacts body weight and skeletal development.
Main Methods:
- Newborn rabbits underwent clear lens extraction.
- Postoperative treatment with de-escalating doses of dexamethasone eye drops or vehicle.
- Body weight and crown-rump length were measured weekly for 8 weeks.
- Femur length was measured post-mortem.
Main Results:
- Dexamethasone-treated rabbits showed significantly reduced weight gain compared to controls.
- Longitudinal growth (crown-rump and femur length) was dose-dependently impaired by dexamethasone.
- All comparisons between dexamethasone groups and control were statistically significant (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Topical dexamethasone eye drops exert systemic effects, inhibiting longitudinal growth in young rabbits.
- Close monitoring of growth is recommended for children undergoing intensive glucocorticoid eye drop therapy.
