Treatment of corneal epithelial wounds in dogs using basic fibroblast growth factor

Abstract

An experimental study examined the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the healing of corneal epithelial wounds in dogs. A corneal wound was made on one eye from each of 40 dogs with a corneal trephine (6 mm diameter). Four concentrations of bFGF (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 &mu;g/ml) were applied to the affected eyes three times daily. Fluorescein staining was used to assess the closure of the corneal epithelial wounds. The morphological characteristics were determined on histological examination. The wound healing rate was significantly greater in the bFGF-treated group compared with controls 1, 3, 5, and 7 days (<I>P</I> < 0.01) after the topical administration of bFGF. Both 0.5 and 1.0 &mu;g/ml bFGF increased the wound healing rate significantly (at Days 3 and 5, <I>P</I> < 0.05) compared to 0.1 &mu;g/ml bFGF. Moreover, two control cases still showed poor healing 10 days after the corneal wound. None of the eyes developed corneal clouding or neovascularization during the experiment. The histological examination showed more epithelial layers, a more regular rearrangement, and fewer inflammatory cells in the epithelium of the bFGF-treated group; the epithelium was reconstructed more quickly in the bFGF-treated group compared with the control group. These results suggest that bFGF promotes canine corneal epithelial wound healing effectively, making bFGF suitable for curing canine corneal epithelial wounds.