Efficacy of topical medroxyprogesterone acetate 1 % and topical doxycycline reduce MMP-9 and TGF-β1 expression as corneal ulceration due to alkali burn: literature review

Corneal alkali burn is a typical ophthalmology emergency which requires immediate management and treatment. Alongside conventional treatment, medroxyprogesterone and doxycycline are considered potent add-on treatments. This literature review was conducted to determine their impact towards corneal wound healing after an alkali burn. It was proven from studies extracted from literature searching among various databases that medroxyprogesterone and doxycycline proven to reduce the inflammatory condition of corneal wounds after alkali trauma. In addition, they are subjected to reduce matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) and transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), which are abundant and over-expressed in a corneal wound and could cause excessive inflammation and neovascularization of cornea, which results in hazy and disintegrated corneal tissue after recovery. Therefore, the usage of topical medroxyprogesterone acetate 1% and doxycycline is proven beneficial for patients with corneal wounds after being exposed to alkali burns.