Investigation of the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of corneal ulcer: An experimental rat model

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of autologous PRP in the treatment of alkali-induced corneal ulcers in rats. Materials and Methods: In the study, 24 Wistar albino rats at the age of 15 weeks were used. Following a 2-week adaptation period for the rats, autologous PRP was obtained by collecting blood samples once from tail veins in the 17th, 18th, and 19th weeks, as well as on days 0, 6, and 15 of the study. When the rats reached the age of 20 weeks under general anesthesia, an alkaline corneal ulcer was created by applying NaOH- oaked sterile filter paper to the center of the cornea for 30 seconds. Rats with corneal ulcers were randomly selected in each group, with 8 subjects in each group (Group I: Isotonic sodium chloride, Group II: Moxifloxacin hydrochloride-diclofenac sodium, and Group III: Autologous PRP). Treatments and clinical ophthalmological examinations were conducted daily. Ulcer areas were photographed with a camera on days 0., 3., 6., 9., 12., 15., 18., and 21. day of the study, and measurements were taken from the photographs. Results: Although the ulcer sizes were similar in the moxifloxacin hydrochloride-diclofenac sodium and autologous PRP groups, it was observed that they were statistically significantly smaller on days 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 compared to the isotonic sodium chloride group (p<0.001). Similarly, the changes in the mean daily corneal ulcer areas in the meloxicam-diclofenac sodium and autologous PRP groups were statistically significantly different from the isotonic sodium chloride group on days 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 15-18, and 18-21 (p<0.05). On the 4th day of the study, while purulent discharge was observed in the eye of a rat in the isotonic sodium chloride group, no infections were observed in any other subjects. However, pruritus oculi, blepharitis, blepharospasm, photophobia, and epiphora, observed in all rats in the isotonic sodium chloride group, were not encountered in the autologous PRP and moxifloxacin hydrochloride-diclofenac sodium groups. Conclusion: In the presented study, it was observed that autologous PRP, in addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, accelerated the healing process, facilitated stable closure of corneal wounds, and reduced the risk of infection in the treatment of corneal ulcers. Keywords: Alkaline Burn, Autologous PRP, Corneal ulcer, Rat, Treatment