Reparative Outcomes in Corneal Infection: Linking Adjunctive Tβ4 Treatment to Nerve Regeneration and Visual Function.

Mice with wounded corneas infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria were given one of four eye drop treatments: salt water, thymosin beta-4 alone, ciprofloxacin alone, or thymosin beta-4 plus ciprofloxacin together. The drops were given three times a day starting one day after infection. The researchers measured how severe the eye disease was, how well the mice could see using tests of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, and how sensitive their corneas were to touch. They also stained the corneal nerves with a fluorescent dye to count and examine them under a microscope. The paper reports that the mice given the combination of thymosin beta-4 and ciprofloxacin had better vision, more sensitive corneas, and denser, more normal-looking nerves than mice in the other three groups, with nerve density similar to that of uninfected mice.

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