OBJECTIVE: To investigate a rat animal model of filtering bleb scarring formation. METHODS: Thirty-five of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used in this experiment. The filtration surgery was performed on one eye of each rat and the other eye served as control. The presence of postoperative bleb and clinical manifestation was evaluated. Each group of three rats were sacrificed and the eyes enucleated on day 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28. After the eyes were fixed by 10% formalin, serial paraffin sections of three eyes were labeled with HE staining and the pathological morphology was observed under a microscope. RESULTS: A conjunctival bleb was successfully formed in 35 rats lasting from 8 to 21 days after surgery. An obvious dilatation of blood vessels, infiltration of a great number of neutrophil, and a severe edema of the subconjunctival tissue were observed on day 1 and the above morphological changes plus increased infiltration of macrophages were found on day 3. The dilated blood vessels were lessened while the proliferation of fibroblast was presented with abundant endochylema in oval-shaped nucleus of fibroblasts, which were closely associated with the deposition of small amount of new loose collagen fibers on day 7. The collagen fibers became tight on day 14 and subsequently, the early scar was formed on day 28. CONCLUSION: The rat model of filtering bleb scarring formation may be useful for the investigation of preventing and treating conjunctival scarring resulted from glaucoma filtration surgery and other related eye diseases in the future.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate a rat animal model of filtering bleb scarring formation. METHODS: Thirty-five of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used in this experiment. The filtration surgery was performed on one eye of each rat and the other eye served as control. The presence of postoperative bleb and clinical manifestation was evaluated. Each group of three rats were sacrificed and the eyes enucleated on day 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28. After the eyes were fixed by 10% formalin, serial paraffin sections of three eyes were labeled with HE staining and the pathological morphology was observed under a microscope. RESULTS: A conjunctival bleb was successfully formed in 35 rats lasting from 8 to 21 days after surgery. An obvious dilatation of blood vessels, infiltration of a great number of neutrophil, and a severe edema of the subconjunctival tissue were observed on day 1 and the above morphological changes plus increased infiltration of macrophages were found on day 3. The dilated blood vessels were lessened while the proliferation of fibroblast was presented with abundant endochylema in oval-shaped nucleus of fibroblasts, which were closely associated with the deposition of small amount of new loose collagen fibers on day 7. The collagen fibers became tight on day 14 and subsequently, the early scar was formed on day 28. CONCLUSION: The rat model of filtering bleb scarring formation may be useful for the investigation of preventing and treating conjunctival scarring resulted from glaucoma filtration surgery and other related eye diseases in the future.