Role of Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide and Bevacizumab in Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinase and Inhibitor in Rabbit Penetrating Injury Model

Aims: To assess the effects of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide and bevacizumab on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase MMP-2 and its inhibitor TIMP-1 in an experimental rabbit model of penetrating injury. Settings and Design: An accurate experimental study of five left eyes as negative control and 27 eyes with penetrating injury with or without treatment from 27 rabbits. Methods and Material: A total of 30 New Zealand rabbits were recruited, and penetrating injury was performed in the superotemporal quadrant of the right eye by making incisions 5 mm horizontally and 6 mm behind the limbus. The rabbits were split into five groups: OGI, intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide, and bevacizumab, with varying injection timings (n = 6 per group). All eyes were inspected and analyzed by assessing the expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-1. Statistical analysis used: Statistical analysis was performed using the Prism GraphPad 9. Statistical calculations were made by ANOVA test. All descriptive data are presented as mean+standard deviation. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant statistically. Results: The expression of MMP-2 in the treatment group was considerably lower than in control penetrating injury group (8,36±1,699, p<0,0001), conversely TIMP-1 expression was higher in the treatment group (4,72±1,026, P 0,0593). Fibrosis was assessed with HE staining and primarily detected in positive control groups. Conclusions: TA and bevacizumab treatments after penetrating injury effectively inhibited the elevation of MMP-2 and decreased the expression of TIMP-1 in the retina and wound site tissue, respectively. It reduces the possibility of acquiring posttraumatic PVR.