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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Penetration of topically administered dexamethasone disodium...
Equine veterinary journal2021; 54(5); 965-972; doi: 10.1111/evj.13526

Penetration of topically administered dexamethasone disodium phosphate and prednisolone acetate into the normal equine ocular fluids.

Abstract: Topical dexamethasone and prednisolone are currently the mainstay treatment for equine ophthalmic inflammatory diseases, such as equine recurrent uveitis. Comparative pharmacokinetic studies in horses are lacking and current guidelines are mainly based on empirical data and extrapolation from other species. Objective: To investigate the penetration and local concentrations of topically applied dexamethasone and prednisolone in normal equine ocular fluids and serum. Methods: Prospective randomised experimental pharmacokinetic study. Methods: Twenty-one Shetland ponies without ophthalmic disease were treated bilaterally topically every 2 hours during 24 hours to obtain steady state drug concentrations. One eye was treated with 0.15 mg of dexamethasone disodium phosphate (0.1%), and the other eye was simultaneously treated with 1.5 mg of prednisolone acetate (1%). Serum samples were taken prior to the induction of general anaesthesia. Aqueous and vitreous humour samples were taken during euthanasia at time points after administration of the last dose (t = 5 min, t = 15 min, t = 30 min, t = 60 min, t = 90 min, t = 120 min, t = 180 min). Each pony was randomly assigned to one time point, and three ponies were sampled per time point. Dexamethasone and prednisolone concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: The mean dexamethasone concentration in aqueous humour was 32.4 ng/mL (standard deviation [SD] 10.9) and the mean prednisolone concentration was 321.6 ng/mL (SD 96.0). In the vitreous and in serum samples concentrations of both corticosteroids were below the limit of detection (LOD 2.5 ng/mL). Conclusions: The study group was limited to subjects without evidence of current ophthalmic disease. A limited number of time points were measured. Conclusions: Potentially effective dexamethasone and prednisolone concentrations were measured in the anterior chamber, but vitreal concentrations were negligible. Systemic uptake was low. Therefore, treatment with only topically administered corticosteroids is deemed insufficient in horses in cases of posterior uveitis. Further studies evaluating other routes of administration are warranted.
© 2021 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2021-11-21 PubMed ID: 34706129PubMed Central: PMC9545554DOI: 10.1111/evj.13526Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research focused on examining how effectively two types of corticosteroid eye drops, dexamethasone and prednisolone, penetrate the eye tissues of horses to treat inflammatory eye conditions. The study found that while these steroids could reach potentially effective concentrations in the anterior part of the eye, they could not do so in the back part, suggesting that treating posterior uveitis might require other administration methods.

Overview of the Research Methodology

  • The procedure was a prospective randomized pharmacokinetic study involving 21 Shetland ponies with no existing eye diseases.
  • Both eyes of each pony were given topical eye drops every two hours for 24 hours. One eye received dexamethasone drops, and the other received prednisolone drops.
  • Blood samples were taken before the ponies were anesthetized. The aqueous and vitreous humor (fluids inside the eye) were collected after euthanasia at specific time points.
  • Each pony was randomly assigned to one of the time points for fluid collection, ensuring three ponies were sampled at each time point.
  • The concentrations of dexamethasone and prednisolone in these samples were measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Research Findings

  • The concentration of dexamethasone in the anterior chamber (the front part of the eye) was found to be 32.4 ng/mL on average, while prednisolone averaged 321.6 ng/mL.
  • However, in both the vitreous humor (the back part of the eye) and the blood samples, the concentrations of the two drugs were undetectable (below the limit of detection of 2.5 ng/mL).

Conclusion and Implications

  • Because of the low detectable amounts in the posterior eye and systemically, the study concluded that only using topical eye drops of these corticosteroids might be insufficient for treating posterior uveitis in horses.
  • The researchers suggested further studies looking into different ways to administer these drugs for treating posterior uveitis, noting their study only included ponies without current eye diseases, and they only collected samples at a limited number of time-points.

Cite This Article

APA
Hermans H, van den Berg EMH, Slenter IJM, Vendrig DJC, de Nijs-Tjon LJL, Vernooij JCM, Brommer H, Boevé MH, Gehring R. (2021). Penetration of topically administered dexamethasone disodium phosphate and prednisolone acetate into the normal equine ocular fluids. Equine Vet J, 54(5), 965-972. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13526

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 54
Issue: 5
Pages: 965-972

Researcher Affiliations

Hermans, Hanneke
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
van den Berg, Els M H
  • Dierenhospitaal Visdonk, Roosendaal, The Netherlands.
Slenter, Inge J M
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Vendrig, Dax J C
  • Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Veterinary and Comparative Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
de Nijs-Tjon, Lilian J L
  • Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Veterinary and Comparative Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Vernooij, Johannes C M
  • Department of Population Health Sciences, Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Brommer, Harold
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Boevé, Michael H
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Gehring, Ronette
  • Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Veterinary and Comparative Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Dexamethasone
  • Eye Diseases / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Phosphates
  • Prednisolone / analogs & derivatives
  • Prospective Studies

Conflict of Interest Statement

No competing interests have been declared.

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