Work

Oral Antioxidant Provides Adjunctive Therapeutic Benefits Alongside Dexamethasone in a Rat Model of Endotoxin‐Induced Uveitis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Several antioxidant combinations are commercially available; however, it remains unclear whether these combinations can enhance the anti-inflammatory effects of systemic corticosteroids in acute uveitis models. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of an orally administered antioxidant formulation in a lipopolysaccharide-induced uveitis rat model and explore its potential as an adjunctive therapy to corticosteroid treatment. METHODS: Seventy-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and evenly assigned to five groups and orally treated for 10 days with antioxidant formulations, either alone or in combination with intravenous dexamethasone. Uveitis was induced via subcutaneous lipopolysaccharide injection. Clinical severity was assessed using a slit-lamp biomicroscope. Subsequently, a subset of five randomly selected rats per group underwent biochemical analyses of the aqueous humour and histopathological evaluation of the ocular tissues. RESULTS: The lipopolysaccharide-treated group exhibited the highest clinical score, which was significantly reduced by dexamethasone monotherapy and combination treatment. Moreover, the antioxidant formulation significantly reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in the aqueous humour, which was further diminished by the combination treatment. TNF-α and IL-6 levels decreased upon combination therapy, yielding significantly lower TNF-α levels than those with dexamethasone monotherapy. Combination treatment significantly increased IL-10 levels. Moreover, total superoxide dismutase activity was highest in the combination group. No significant differences were observed in the histopathological scores or total protein concentrations between the dexamethasone and combination groups. CONCLUSIONS: Co-administration of dexamethasone and an antioxidant is a potential adjunctive therapeutic strategy for mitigating oxidative tissue damage.

Source: Veterinary Medicine and Science

DOI: 10.1002/vms3.71287

Authors: Su‐Jung Yang, Joon‐Young Kim

Institution: Konkuk University

Language: English

Topic: Ocular Diseases and Behçet’s Syndrome

Subfield: Ophthalmology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,880