PURPOSE: Observe the effects of corneal intrastromal injection of biguanide at 0.02%, 0.1% and 0.5% in rabbits' eyes. METHODS: Doble blind prospective study. 8 rabbits were used, randomly identified and divided into 4 groups, with 2 rabbits each, with the administration of 0.2 ml of the drug via intrastromal, in the right eye. The first group received biguanide at a concentration of 0.02%, the second one at 0.1%, the third at 0.5% and the fourth group (control) was given a placebo injection - saline solution at 0.9%. One rabbit from each group was sacrificed on the third day and the remaining rabbits on the tenth day after the drug injection and had its right eyes enucleated and submitted to histopathological analysis. RESULTS: The rabbits that received placebo and biguanide at 0.02% presented, both on the third and the tenth day of the application, mild inflammation response. The rabbit sacrificed on the third day after the drug injection at 0.1% presented mild inflammatory infiltrate with neutrophils and eosinophils, although on the tenth day there was stromal necrosis, vascularization and intense infiltrate. The third group presented stromal necrosis, moderate infiltrate of leukocytes and endothelial atrophy with leukocytes in the anterior chamber on the third day, developing extensive stromal necrosis, moderate infiltrate and endothelial and epithelial atrophy on the t enth day. CONCLUSION: Biguanide when used at concentrations of 0.1% and 0.5% may cause adverse reactions in the rabbit's cornea, which arouses the necessity of further studies with a larger sample to confirm the findings.
Rabbits; Cornea; Drug toxicity; Corneal stroma; Drug evaluation
