Research: INTRAOCULAR PRESURE LOWERING EFFECTS OF 0.75% SILIBININ DIHEMISUCCINATE EYE DROPS IN RABBITS MODEL OF α-CHYMOTRYPSIN-INDUCED GLAUCOMA

Although glaucoma is no longer defined as elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) but rather a condition comprises characteristic optic nerve head and visual filed abnormalities, lowering IOP is still the major strategy in slowing down glaucomatous damage to the inner structures of the eye and visual filed. The present study was designed to evaluate the IOP lowering effect of a novel eye drops formula of 0.75% silibinin dihemisuccinate (SDH) in α-chymotrypsin-induced glaucoma in rabbits. Sixty New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study and allocated into different groups; the effects of single dose and long term use of SDH drops on IOP in rabbits with α-chymotrypsin-induced glaucoma were evaluated using two types of tonometry. The results showed that SDH drops significantly lowered IOP when topically instilled both as short or long-term treatment in this animal model compared to the already utilized drugs used in this respect like Betaxolol or Pilocarpine. In conclusion, the novel formula of SDH eye drops was effective in management of glaucoma by decreasing IOP, probably through interfering with both inflow and outflow of aqueous humor dynamics, and it may be a new drug candidate for the reduction of elevated IOP.