Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Ex Vivo and In Vivo Animal Models for Mechanical and Chemical Injuries of Corneal Epithelium
Published on: April 6, 2022
RGTA in corneal wound healing after transepithelial laser ablation in a rabbit model: a randomized, blinded,
Maria Xeroudaki1, Beatrice Peebo1, Johan Germundsson1
1Division of Ophthalmology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Purpose:
To evaluate the efficacy of the agent RGTA for epithelial, stromal and nerve regeneration after laser-induced corneal wounding in rabbits.
Methods:
After excimer laser wounding of the anterior cornea in 25 New Zealand white rabbits, topical RGTA or placebo was applied in a randomized, masked manner. Fluorescein epithelial staining was performed on the first 5 postoperative days. In vivo confocal microscopy of corneal subbasal nerves and stroma was performed preoperatively and on week 2, 4, 8 and 16. At 16 weeks, corneas were stained for beta-III tubulin expression.
Results:
Postoperatively, all epithelia had closed by at least 90% after the third postoperative day. No significant difference in epithelial wound size was found between RGTA and placebo-treated groups, and RGTA did not hinder fluorescein binding. After epithelial wound closure, corneas remained transparent to 16 weeks. By confocal microscopy, subclinical stromal haze was significantly deeper in placebo-treated eyes (mean depth 60 μm) relative to RGTA group (52 μm), p = 0.02. Regenerating beta-III tubulin-positive subbasal nerves were observed in all corneas, but partial masking by haze rendered quantitative analysis unreliable.
Conclusions:
RGTA restored stromal microarchitecture and reduced subclinical haze relative to placebo. The mild epithelial wound quickly healed regardless of treatment suggesting an optimal natural healing process in freshly wounded healthy corneas, and indicating that RGTA may be more suitable for healing of chronic or more aggressive wounds. Limitations of the rabbit model for nerve quantification in the presence of haze should also be recognized.
