Effects of a-adrenergic agonist and laser trabeculoplasty on plasmoid aqueous humor of glaucomatous rabbits

The present study aimed to determine the protection of blood aqueous barrier by the apraclonidine drops, which is an adrenergic receptor agonist that reduces each of the aqueous humor protein production and the intraocular pressure in glaucomatous rabbits eye before and after treatment with apraclonidine and diode laser trabeculoplasty (DLT).The rabbits were classified into four groups in addition to a normal one. Group (I) was treated with apraclonidine only twice daily, group (II) with apraclonidine before DLT, group (III) with apraclonidine after laser and group (IV) was treated with apraclonidine before and after laser. The aqueous humor was withdrawn from the anterior chamber of the normal and glaucomatous rabbits eye immediately after treatment (direct effect) and one week after treatment for the plasmoid (delayed effect). The intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured then the protein contents and the changes in the molecular structures of aqueous humor proteins were detected using gel column chromatography and electrophoretic mobility. Apraclonidine eye drops led to decrease in IOP and prevented its rise after DLT. The degree of permeability of the barrier was deduced by the amount of protein in the plasmoid aqueous humor after DLT. In normal rabbits, the total protein was increased in the plasmoid aqueous humor. In the four treated groups, the total protein was decreased. The most pronounced decrease was in the group that treated with apraclonidine before and after laser. The change in total protein content was accompanied with change in its molecular weight and electrophoretic mobility. From the obtained results, it could be concluded that the withdrawing of the aqueous humor from the anterior chamber of the eye in appreciable amount leads to reformation of new aqueous humor (plasmoid) with elevated protein concentration. Moreover, the treatment with apraclonidine before DLT completely protected the blood aqueous barrier from disruption caused by laser and the protection was less effective when apraclonidine was applied after laser even if compared with the control group