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Updated: Apr 10, 2026
Ex Vivo Corneal Organ Culture Model for Wound Healing Studies
Published on: February 15, 2019
Revisiting the Role of the Myofibroblast in Socket Surgery: An Immunohistochemical Study
Hatem A Tawfik1, Mohamed H Abdulhafez, Yousef A Fouad
1*Department of Ophthalmology, †Medical Student, and ‡Department of Pathology, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Purpose:
To determine the impact of a single injection of various anti-inflammatory, antimitotic, and antiangiogenic agents on the cell count of myofibroblasts in an eviscerated socket.
Methods:
One eye from 15 skeletally mature New Zealand white rabbits was eviscerated, and the rabbits were divided into 5 groups. Each group of 3 rabbits received a 0.1 ml subconjunctival injection of a different agent. Group I received bevacizumab 25 mg/ml, group II received triamcinolone 40 mg/ml, group III received 5-fluorouracil 50 mg/ml, group IV received mitomycin-C 0.4 mg/ml, while group V was the control group and received no injections. The animals were euthanized 19 days after evisceration and conjunctival samples were submitted for histopathological examination. Monoclonal α-smooth muscle actin antibody was applied, and the mean of 5 readings of the number of myofibroblasts was recorded in each slide.
Results:
The mean count of myofibroblasts was highest for the control group and all groups achieved a statistically significant reduction in myofibroblast count compared with the control group. Sorting the means showed that Group IV (mitomycin-C) achieved the lowest mean value (p = 0.000006) followed by triamcinolone (p = 0.00048), while group I (bevacizumab) achieved the least reduction in myofibroblast count (p = 0.00148).
Conclusion:
Until newer antimyofibroblast medications and antibodies are commercially available, a single injection of mitomycin-C or triamcinolone during surgery achieves the highest mean reduction of myofibroblast count.
Insights
Mitomycin-C and triamcinolone injections significantly reduce myofibroblast cell counts in rabbit eye sockets. These agents offer a promising approach for managing ocular conditions involving myofibroblast proliferation.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Cell Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Myofibroblasts play a critical role in wound healing and fibrosis.
- Uncontrolled myofibroblast activity can lead to pathological scarring in the eye.
- Agents targeting myofibroblasts are being investigated for ocular applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of single subconjunctival injections of anti-inflammatory, antimitotic, and antiangiogenic agents.
- To determine the impact of these agents on myofibroblast cell counts in an eviscerated socket model.
Main Methods:
- Evisceration was performed on rabbit eyes, followed by subconjunctival injections of bevacizumab, triamcinolone, 5-fluorouracil, or mitomycin-C.
- A control group received no injection.
- Conjunctival samples were analyzed histopathologically for myofibroblast counts using α-smooth muscle actin antibody.
Main Results:
- All tested agents significantly reduced myofibroblast counts compared to the control group.
- Mitomycin-C demonstrated the most significant reduction, followed by triamcinolone.
- Bevacizumab showed the least reduction among the tested agents.
Conclusions:
- Single injections of mitomycin-C or triamcinolone are effective in reducing myofibroblast counts in an eviscerated socket.
- These agents represent viable therapeutic options for conditions characterized by excessive myofibroblast activity.
- Further research into novel antimyofibroblast agents is ongoing.
