The subconjunctival use of cetuximab and bevacizumab in inhibition of corneal angiogenesis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of cetuximab and bevacizumab on experimental rat model of corneal angiogenesis.

METHODS: The right eyes of 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats were included in silver nitrate cauterization-induced corneal angiogenesis model. They were divided into four groups: (1) silver nitrate cauterization-induced and 0.15 ml serum physiologic was given to the angiogenesis group, (2) bevacizumab was given 1.25 mg to the bevacizumab group, (3) cetuximab was given 5 mg to the cetuximab group, and (4) 1.25 mg bevacizumab plus 5 mg cetuximab were given to the bevacizumab + cetuximab group. All eyes were exposed to the treatment on days 1, 4, and 7 of the experiment, and drugs were given subconjunctivally. The left eyes were untreated and used as sham. On day 8, the treated eyes were evaluated biomicroscopically. Then, the rats were sacrificed, and corneal specimens were prepared for histopathologic examinations.

RESULTS: The degree of angiogenesis inhibition was observed as 50.8% in bevacizumab, 54.3% in cetuximab, and 15.8% in bevacizumab + cetuximab groups by biomicroscopic evaluation. According to the histopathological and immunohistochemical findings obtained from the present study, the amount of angiogenesis was determined to have decreased considerably in both the bevacizumab and cetuximab groups; also, relatively less inhibiton was observed in the bevacizumab + cetuximab group.

CONCLUSION: Subconjunctival injection of cetuximab and bevacizumab is effective in reducing corneal angiogenesis in silver nitrate cauterization induced angiogenesis model of rats. Further investigation is needed to assess the potential side-effects of the drugs, especially cetuximab.