Key result
Ophthalmic 2% methyldopa lowers intraocular pressure ~24%, matching timolol in steroid-induced ocular hypertension.
Why the study?
Glaucoma is characterized by progressive optic nerve damage and loss of visual field, motivating evaluation of the possible IOP-lowering effect of an ophthalmic preparation of methyldopa in corticosteroid-induced ocular hypertension in rabbits.
Does an ophthalmic preparation of methyldopa (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) reduce intraocular pressure in rabbits with corticosteroid-induced ocular hypertension compared to timolol 0.5% and distilled water control?
Does an ophthalmic preparation of methyldopa (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) reduce intraocular pressure in rabbits with corticosteroid-induced ocular hypertension compared to timolol 0.5% and distilled water control?
Topical methyldopa eye drops (particularly at 1% and 2% concentrations) significantly and dose-dependently lowered intraocular pressure in a rabbit model of steroid-induced glaucoma with efficacy comparable to timolol 0.5% and without local ocular side effects.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports hypothesis generation for ophthalmic methyldopa in ocular hypertension; should not change practice pending human trials.
Glaucoma is a type of ocular disorder with multifaceted etiologies characterized by progressive optic nerve damage and ultimately loss of visual field. This study evaluated the possible IOP-lowering effect of an ophthalmic preparation of methyldopa in corticosteroid-induced ocular hypertension in rabbits. 40 New Zealand white male rabbits were assigned to the experiment and then randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 8). Ocular hypertension was induced by weekly subconjunctival injection of betamethasone suspension in both eyes. Animal groups included the control (healthy) group, which received the ophthalmic vehicle only, the standard (timolol) group, which received 0.5% timolol ED, and the MD groups, which received 0.5%, 1%, and 2% of methyldopa ophthalmic preparation. Treatments were applied to the right eye twice daily for 7 days whereas the left eye served as control and was given only distilled water. IOP was recorded and ocular reflexes were observed. Weekly subconjunctival injections of betamethasone resulted in a significant elevation in the IOP (P ≤ 0.001) that was reduced after treatments with timolol 0.5% and MD at different concentrations. Timolol showed the highest reduction (P ≤ 0.001) in the mean IOP with a 30% reduction. MD showed a concentration-dependent reduction with the highest reduction (P ≤ 0.01) observed at 2% compared to the induced/DW eyes and no significant difference compared to the timolol 0.5% (P ≥ 0.05) with a 24.2% reduction in the mean IOP. Methyldopa managed to reduce the IOP in the chronic model of glaucoma, making MD a promising addition to the anti-glaucoma medications.
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Gatea et al. (2024) studied Corticosteroid-induced ocular hypertension (experimental glaucoma model) (n=40). Methyldopa ophthalmic preparation vs. Timolol 0.5% eye drops (standard positive control) and distilled water / isotonic buffer vehicle (negative control) was evaluated on Percentage and absolute reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP) at day 7 (for 2% methyldopa) (MD -5.8 mmHg (24.2% reduction with 2% methyldopa vs distilled water control eye), p=≤0.01). Ophthalmic 2% methyldopa reduced intraocular pressure by 24.2% in rabbits with steroid-induced ocular hypertension, comparable to 0.5% timolol.
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