Thymosin B4 (TB4) and Ciprofloxacin Conjunctive Treatment Improves Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Induced Bacterial Keratitis
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Authors
Kracht, David J.
Issue Date
2016
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Ophthalmology researchers are currently hard-pressed to find safe and more cost-friendly ways to treat eye diseases. More specifically, currents treatments for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) induced bacterial keratitis (BK) are expensive, or insufficient to clear the bacterial infection and promote corneal wound healing. However, thymosin B4 (TB4) treatment has been shown to be successful in promoting wound healing and reducing corneal inflammation in various experimental models. Therefore, utilizing a mouse model of PA induced BK, we investigated if TB4 would be an efficacious treatment option. Mice were infected with the cytotoxic PA 19660 strain. 24 hours post infection; mice were treated with either PBS (negative control), TB4, TB4+Ciprofloxacin or Ciprofloxacin alone. Cytokine profile and PMN infiltration were determined by real-time RT-PCR and myeloperoxidase assay, respectively. It was found that mice treated with TB4 alone did not exhibit significant healing, and their gene expression and polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration were consistent with control treated mice, in which corneas did not heal. However, mice treated with TB4 and Ciprofloxacin showed marked improvement visually and genetically, suggesting TB4+Ciprofloxacin could be a possible treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa induced bacterial keratitis in future human cases.
Description
iv, 30 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.