Abstract
BackgroundTo study the effect of topical administration of a fusion protein (PF-MC) made up of N-terminal portion of the protease inhibitor Trappin-2 (which is a substrate of transglutaminasa-2) and SLPI (protein with anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral ability), in an animal model of corneal inflammation and angiogenesis.MethodsAn alkali injury was produced with a filter paper of 3 mm with 1 N NaOH during 40 seconds on the right cornea of 36 male Sprague Dawley rats, under general anesthesia. Animals were divided into three groups according to treatment. Group 1 was treated with 10 ul of PF-MC (200 ug/ml; n = 12), Group 2, with 10 ul of SLPI (200 ug/ml; n = 12) and Group 3 was treated with buffer (10 ul; n = 12) topically administered four times a day for up to 7 days. Half of the animals were sacrificed at day 3 before making a re-epithelialization time analysis with fluorescein staining at 18 and 24 hours. In the remaining animals corneal opacity was studied and digital photographs were taken at day 7 before doing euthanasia. Eyes were processed for histology and immunofluorescence.ResultsCorneal ulcerated area was significantly lower in PF-MC treated animals compared to SLPI and buffer-treated animals at 18 hours and 24 hours postinjury. A clear cornea and fundus red reflex was only found among PF-MC treated animals. Histological analysis revealed a stratified corneal epithelium with at least three layers in all PF-MC animals at day 7. In this group there was a reduced number of PMNs in the corneal stroma at 3 and 7 days of follow-up. Besides, corneal neovascularization was much more extended in SLPI and Buffer animals than in animals treated with PF-MC.ConclusionsThe binding of SLPI with Cementoin to transglutaminase seems to be an effective strategy to treat corneal inflammation and angiogenesis.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2415-15-12) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
To study the effect of topical administration of a fusion protein (PF-MC) made up of N-terminal portion of the protease inhibitor Trappin-2 and Secretory leucocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), in an animal model of corneal inflammation and angiogenesis
The rate of corneal ulcerated area was significantly lower in PFMCP treated animals compared to that seen in SLPI and buffer treated animals 18 hours postinjury (Figure 2B)
We have analyzed the topical effect of a new fusion protein made up of SLPI and N-terminal portion of the protease inhibitor Trappin-2 in a rat model of corneal alkali injury
Summary
To study the effect of topical administration of a fusion protein (PF-MC) made up of N-terminal portion of the protease inhibitor Trappin-2 (which is a substrate of transglutaminasa-2) and SLPI (protein with antiinflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral ability), in an animal model of corneal inflammation and angiogenesis. The use of steroids in corneal inflammatory diseases is quite common [1,2,3]. Corticoids chronic use can cause ocular side effects as glaucoma and cataracts and affect corneal epithelialization [4,5,6]. Because of these problems other anti-inflammatory drugs are being tested, such as the physiological serine protease inhibitors SLPI (secretory leucocyte protease inhibitor) and Elafin. The proteolysis inhibitory action plays an important role in the control of tissue damage produced by proteases in the inflammatory sites. A strict balance between proteases and the inhibitory effect is indispensable in wound healing and in inflammatory disorders [8]. Unbalance occurs in various inflammatory diseases as fibrocystic disease, chronic bronchitis, emphysema associated to smoking and ulcers in inflammatory bowel disease [9,10,11,12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
