Pirenzepine Inhibits Myopia in Guinea Pig Model by Regulating the Balance of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 Expression and Increased Tyrosine Hydroxylase Levels.

In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanism of action of pirenzepine in a guinea pig model of myopia induced by exposure to monochromatic light. It was observed that pirenzepine inhibited the increase of diopter and extension of ocular axial length. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells in pirenzepine group was significantly higher compared to the other treatment groups pointing to a highly positive correlation between TH expression levels and the diopter and axial length change. RT-PCR analysis further showed that pirenzepine treatment reduced the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2) and enhanced the expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP-2) compared to the other treatment and control groups. To conclude, we demonstrate that pirenzepine may improve the prognosis of monochromatic light-induced myopia in guinea pigs, possibly by both regulating the balance of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in sclera and increasing the TH expression in retina.