Immunosuppression and selective inflammatory cell depletion. Studies on a guinea pig model of corneal ulceration after ocular alkali burning.

Total ocular-surface alkali burning was performed on guinea pigs to study the effects of generalized immunosuppression and selective inflammatory cell line modifications on corneal ulceration. Central stromal corneal ulceration developed in 86% (18/21) of control eyes three to seven days after alkali burning, whereas ulcers developed in only 16% (3/19) of the eyes of guinea pigs immunosuppressed with cyclophosphamide. Neutrophils, the preponderant inflammatory cells in ulcerating corneas, were conspicuously absent from the nonulcerating corneas. Selective neutrophil suppression by intravenous administration of a highly specific anti-guinea pig neutrophil serum also suppressed the development of corneal ulcerations in this model; in only 25% of the eyes so treated did ulcers develop after alkali burning. T lymphocyte or monocyte modifications with similar monospecific antisera had no effects on the rate of corneal ulceration. Neutrophil depletion after the onset of ulceration halted progression of the corneal ulcer.