| Abstract: | Thermal cauterization of the center of the rat cornea results in emigration of neutrophils into the extravascular limbal tissue and blood vessel growth into the cornea. In this study, 1.0 M sodium salicylate, 1.0 M sodium chloride, and ointment vehicle were administered to normal and cauterized rat corneas for periods of 6, 48, and 144 h. When applied to the normal cornea, salicylate resulted in a marked increase in neutrophils in the limbal tissue at 6 h, but an inhibition at 48 h. Similarly, for the cauterized corneas, administration of salicylate increased the extent of neutrophil emigration at 6 h, but this effect was not sustained at 48 h. Neither vehicle nor sodium chloride had any effect on the extravascular neutrophil population. After 6 days, administration of the vehicle resulted in a slight increase in vascular growth into the cornea, whereas sodium salicylate caused a decrease. These findings indicate that hypertonic (1 M) sodium salicylate does not inhibit the emigration of neutrophils from limbal vessels of cauterized rat corneas, but does appear to have a cytotoxic effect on the tissues and on blood vessel endothelial cells. |
