Efficacy, Drug Sensitivity, and Safety of a Chronic Ocular Hypertension Rat Model Established Using a Single Intracameral Injection of Hydrogel into the Anterior Chamber.

BACKGROUND Chronic ocular hypertension (COH) models mostly focus on changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) and loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The present study evaluated important glaucoma-related changes in visual function, response to common ocular hypotensive drugs, and safety for our previously developed rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS The model was established through a single injection of hydrogel into the anterior chambers. Efficacy was assessed through F-VEP by measuring latency and amplitude of P1. We evenly divided 112 rats into 4 groups: control and COH at 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Response to 5 common drugs (brimonidine, timolol, benzamide, pilocarpine, and bimatoprost) were each tested on 6 rats and assessed using difference in IOP. Safety assessment was conducted through histological analysis of 24 rats evenly divided into 4 groups of control and COH at 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Corneal endothelial cells (CECs) of 24 additional rats were used to determine toxic effects through TUNEL and CCK-8 assays. RESULTS P1 latency and amplitude of VEP demonstrated the model is effective in inducing optic nerve function impairment. Only the drug pilocarpine failed to have an obvious hypotensive effect, while the other 4 were effective. CECs at 2, 4, and 8 weeks showed no significant differences from control groups in results of histological analysis, TUNEL, and CCK-8 assays. CONCLUSIONS A single injection of hydrogel into the anterior chamber is effective for modeling COH, can respond to most commonly used hypotensive drugs, and is non-toxic to the eyes.