Abstract
Superficial corneal ulcers that fail to heal within a normal time period and are refractory to conventional therapy in dogs are common in veterinary practice. Different etiologies can lead to this result, including spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCEDs) and ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy. Thus, there is an urgent need to find new therapeutic approaches such as matrix therapy replacement. To determine the efficacy of a new ophthalmic treatment (Clerapliq®) for SCCEDs and ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy, a total of 11 dogs referred to the clinic because of nonhealing erosive ulcers after a classic primary treatment were enrolled to get this new treatment. Dogs underwent ophthalmic exams and 7 dogs (10 eyes) were diagnosed with superficial ulceration and 4 dogs (5 eyes) with bullous keratopathy due to endothelial dystrophy/degeneration. They received eye drops of Clerapliq® every 3 days until recovery. The results showed that the corneas with recurrences of the ulcers were resolved predominantly by using Clerapliq® every 3 days in 83.3% of the cases during a period of treatment ranging between 6 to 35 days. Therefore, this new approach using matrix therapy regenerating technology in treating superficial ulcers and bullous keratopathy in dogs can be successfully considered as an adjunctive therapy.
Highlights
Over the past few years, a new type of matrix therapy agent named ReGeneraTing Agent (RGTA® )has provided encouraging results, accelerating the healing of chronic skin ulcers of diabetic or vascular origin [1,2,3,4]
Different etiologies can result in refractory corneal ulcers, such as morphologic and neurologic abnormalities of the eyelids, thick distichiasis or ectopic cilia, tear film abnormalities, deficiencies of corneal innervation, foreign bodies, microbial infection, spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCED), and ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy [11]
The results show that improvement appeared in 6–35 days, with an average of 18.8 days of treatment once every 3 days (i.e., q3d) among the 11 dogs treated with Clerapliq® simultaneously with the usual treatment
Summary
Over the past few years, a new type of matrix therapy agent named ReGeneraTing Agent (RGTA® )has provided encouraging results, accelerating the healing of chronic skin ulcers of diabetic or vascular origin [1,2,3,4]. RGTA® is a set of molecules, chemically engineered polymers, that are designed to replace degraded heparan sulfate molecules in the injured matrix compartment. They are considered as heparan sulfate mimetics based on their chemical structures and functions [3,4,5,6]. The importance of extracellular matrix (ECM) integrity in maintaining normal tissue function is highlighted by numerous pathologies and situations of acute and chronic injury associated with dysregulation or destruction of ECM components. HS belong to the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) family Their degradation following tissue injury disrupts this delicate equilibrium and may impair the healing process.
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