Fibronectin enhancement of corneal epithelial wound healing of rabbits in vivo.

The effect of topical administration of fibronectin on corneal reepithelialization in vivo was investigated in rabbits. Rabbit plasma fibronectin was purified by affinity chromatography using gelatin-coupled agarose gel (Sepharose 4B). The concentration of purified fibronectin was adjusted to 0.75 mg/mL. Corneal epithelial cells were removed by iodine vapor in 13 rabbits (26 eyes), and the size of the epithelial defect was calculated from the printed photographs in each eye. Fibronectin or phosphate-buffered saline eye drops were instilled. Healing rate was calculated by linear regression. The mean epithelial healing rate in fibronectin-treated eyes was 1.62 +/- 0.33 sq mm/hr, whereas in the control eyes it was 1.30 +/- 0.35 sq mm/hr. This study shows that fibronectin facilitates corneal epithelial wound healing in vivo.