Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
Use of Rabbit Eyes in Pharmacokinetic Studies of Intraocular Drugs
Published on: July 23, 2016
Evaluation of extended release brimonidine intravitreal device in normotensive rabbit eyes
Sunil P Deokule1, Judit Z Baffi, Hong Guo
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA. spdeokule@gmail.com
Purpose:
To evaluate the safety profile of a brimonidine extended release intravitreal implant, in normotensive rabbit eyes.
Methods:
Devices were made from hollow poly-l-lactic acid (PLA) tubes and contained hundred micrograms of brimonidine pamoate. Device was injected intravitreally in one eye of 12 New Zealand pigmented rabbits, whereas other eye was injected with a sham implant in masked fashion. Ocular examination was conducted at baseline and months 1, 3 and 6 including dilated fundus examination and electro-retinogram (ERG). Four rabbits were sacrificed at each time-point for retinal histology. ERG data were compared between groups and time-points using anova.
Results:
No complications were reported from either eye of any rabbits over a 6-month period. Photopic A wave was reduced in the control eye at 1 month compared with baseline (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in other ERG parameters between the groups at different time-points. Gross retinal histology was normal at all time-points.
Conclusion:
Extended release intravitreal brimonidine device was found to be safe and in normotensive rabbit eyes.
