scholarly journals Oral l-Cysteine Supplementation Enhances the Long Term-Effect of Topical Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) in Reducing the Corneal Haze after Photorefractive Keratectomy in Myopic Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Alessandro Meduri ◽  
Loredana Bergandi ◽  
Pietro Perroni ◽  
Francesca Silvagno ◽  
Pasquale Aragona

We aimed at evaluating the long-term effects of l-cysteine oral supplementation to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) eye-drops on corneal re-epithelization and transparency in myopic patients subjected to photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Forty patients subjected to bilateral PRK for myopia were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups receiving an additional therapy together with the standard postoperative treatment consisting in local tobramycin 0.3%, dexamethasone 0.1%, diclofenac 0.1%, and 0.2% hyaluronate. Group 1 included 20 patients (11 males and 9 females; 34.09 ± 8 years of age) receiving only bFGF eye-drops (10 μg/10 μL) four times a day for 7 days starting from the day of surgery; Group 2 included 20 patients (12 males and 8 females; 37.35 ± 11.5 years of age) who were postoperatively administered with topical basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF; 10 μg/10 μL) four times a day for 7 days plus oral l-cysteine supplementation (500 mg/capsule) once a day for 15 days, starting 7 days before PRK. Patients were followed-up for 12 months. Clinical ophthalmologic parameters were recorded for all the 80 examined eyes. The corneal transparency was evaluated in vivo by slit lamp and confocal microscopy. The data showed that: (a) the corneal haze occurred in a smaller percentage of the patients who were postoperatively administered with topical bFGF plus oral l-cysteine supplementation (Group 2) compared to patients who received only bFGF (Group 1); (b) at 6 months of follow-up, the stromal mean image brightness of the patients belonging to Group 2 was significantly lower than that of the Group 1 (p < 0.03), and, interestingly, the difference was even more evident at 12 month from the treatment (p < 0.001). Moreover, the final mean of the spherical equivalent refraction was −0.06 ± 0.2 D in Group 1 and −0.08 ± 0.3 D in Group 2, whereas the final uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was equal or superior to 20/25 in 100% of eyes in both Group 1 and 2. Post refractive patients can benefit from the administration of l-cysteine before the surgery and in association with bFGF in the early postoperative period, showing a faster corneal re-epithelization able to prevent corneal haze in the long-term recovery.

Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 954-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
EL Wilson ◽  
DB Rifkin ◽  
F Kelly ◽  
MJ Hannocks ◽  
JL Gabrilove

Abstract We previously showed that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a potent mitogen for human bone marrow (BM) stromal cells and significantly delays their senescence. In the present study, we demonstrated that low concentrations of bFGF (0.2 to 2 ng/mL) enhance myelopoiesis in long-term human BM culture. Addition of bFGF to long- term BM cultures resulted in an increase in (a) the number of nonadherent cells (sixfold), particularly those of the neutrophil granulocyte series; (b) the number of nonadherent granulocyte colony- stimulating factor (G-CSF)- and granulocyte-macrophage colony- stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-responsive progenitor cells; (c) the number of adherent foci of hematopoietic cells (10-fold); and (d) the number of progenitor cells in the adherent stromal cell layer. These effects were not noted with higher concentrations of bFGF (20 ng/mL). Thus, low concentrations of bFGF effectively augment myelopoiesis in human long- term BM cultures, and bFGF may therefore be a regulator of the hematopoietic system in vitro and in vivo.


Cornea ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry David ◽  
Peter Rieck ◽  
Gilles Renard ◽  
Christian Hartmann ◽  
Yves Courtois ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 124 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 98-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
WonHyoung Ryu ◽  
Zhinong Huang ◽  
Fritz B. Prinz ◽  
Stuart B. Goodman ◽  
Rainer Fasching

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