| Abstrakt: |
Keratoconus is an ectasia that leads to reduced stiffness of the cornea, which acquires a conical shape. Many studies are being carried out aiming at new treatments that lead to the recovery of these cross-links. Therefore, the efficiency of the Stryphnodendron adstringens butanolic extract in promoting cross-linking in corneal stroma of porcine eyes was analyzed. The influence of concentration of this plant extract to form cross-links was analyzed, as well as the influence of the contact time. The denaturation temperature results obtained for corneas treated with 1, 2, or 4% of the barbatimão butanolic extract show an increase of 3.84, 11.37, and 33.23%, respectively. These results suggest a rise in the number of cross-links. As for the contact time of the cornea with the 2% solution of the butanolic extract, it appears that the ideal time was 60 min. Enzymatic digestion assays confirm a decrease of 39% and 59% in the relative area and relative mass of corneas in the control group, while for the group treated with the barbatimão extract, these values were close to 0% and 9%, respectively. Therefore, it was possible to verify the efficiency of the barbatimão butanolic extract in modifying the stroma of porcine corneas, which promoted an increase in resistance to thermal and enzymatic degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
