Preliminary evaluation of two experimental surgical adhesives in the rabbit cornea

We examined the clinical and histopathologic effects of the instillation of two surgical adhesives in the corneal stroma of rabbits. The adhesives examined in this study included a butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (CA) and a combination of a mussel-derived polyphenolic protein (MAP) with an enzyme polymerizer (COX). In this study, either one of the adhesives or balanced saline solution (as a control) was instilled directly into the corneal stroma following the surgical creation of a perilimbal intralamellar pocket. Animals were examined on a regular basis for a 60-day period following instillation and, at predetermined time points, sacrificed for histopathologic evaluation. The group of animals that received intracorneal instillations of CA consistently manifested early and progressive stromal neovascularization of the affected corneas. Histopathologic examination confirmed the progressive neovascularization, as well as a noticeable inflammatory response surrounding the adhesive. In contrast, instillation of the MAP-COX adhesive produced neovascular and inflammatory responses that were later in onset and milder in degree than those observed with CA. In this experimental model, the MAP-COX adhesive appeared to be better tolerated than did the CA.