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Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Use of Rabbit Eyes in Pharmacokinetic Studies of Intraocular Drugs
Published on: July 23, 2016
Pharmacokinetics of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin®) in rabbits
Christos I Sinapis1, John G Routsias, Angelos I Sinapis
1Laboratory for Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research 'N.S.Christeas', School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15b AgiouThoma Street, 11527, Athens, Greece. csinapis@yahoo.gr
Purpose:
To describe the pharmacokinetics of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin®) in rabbits.
Methods:
The right eye of 20 rabbits was injected intravitreally with 1.25 mg/0.05 mL bevacizumab. Both eyes of four rabbits each time were enucleated at days 1, 3, 8, 15, and 29. Bevacizumab concentrations were measured in serum, aqueous humor, and vitreous.
Results:
Maximum vitreous (406.25 μg/mL) and aqueous humor (5.83 μg/mL) concentrations of bevacizumab in the right eye were measured at day 1. Serum bevacizumab concentration peaked at day 8 (0.413 μg/mL) and declined to 0.032 μg/mL at 4 weeks. Half-life values in right vitreous, right aqueous humor, and serum were 6.61, 6.51, and 5.87 days, respectively. Concentration of bevacizumab in the vitreous of the noninjected eye peaked at day 8 (0.335 ng/mL) and declined to 0.218 ng/mL at 4 weeks. In the aqueous humor of the noninjected eye, maximum concentration of bevacizumab was achieved at day 8 (1.6125 ng/mL) and declined (to 0.11 ng/mL) at 4 weeks.
Conclusion:
The vitreous half-life of 1.25 mg/0.05 mL intravitreal bevacizumab was 6.61 days in this rabbit model. Maximum concentrations of bevacizumab were reached at day 1 in both vitreous and aqueous humor of the right eye and at day 8 in the serum. Very low concentrations of bevacizumab were measured in the fellow noninjected eye.
