Morphological effects of the intravitreal injection of acyclovir upon cell density in the ganglion cell layer of the rabbit retina

Abstract

Acute retinal necrosis (NAR) is a very rapid and devastating viral retinitis. Acyclovir is the antiviral of choice for the treatment of NAR because it has good selectivity against its etiological agent. However, studies show that the concentration of acyclovir in the vitreous is very low after systemic use. The intravitreal injection maybe, therefore, be an alternative route of administration of acyclovir and complement the systemic treatment by allowing for quick delivery to the retina and lower systemic dosage. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of intravitreal injection of three doses of acyclovir on neuronal density in the ganglion cell layer of the retina since this layer is the most exposed to the drug. Retinas of treated animals were fixed and stained by the Nissl technique and the cell density of the ganglion cell layer will be sampled photographically and counted. The experimental approach of this new route of administration of drugs for the treatment of viral retinitis opens a new perspective for future preclinical studies. The injection of acyclovir may be an important weapon in the treatment of NAR since it allows immediate access of the drug to the retina and immediate onset of action. (AU)