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Tacrolimus in the Treatment of Ocular Diseases

BioDrugs volume 25, pages 89–103 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Tacrolimus (FK506) has been used successfully as a systemic immunomodulator for more than 2 decades, and numerous studies have investigated its mechanisms of action. Systemic and topical tacrolimus have been investigated as treatments for ocular surface disorders that may have an immune-based inflammatory component. In these studies, tacrolimus has shown efficacy in corneal graft rejection, inflammatory conjunctival and corneal diseases, uveitis, and graft-versus-host disease. As these disorders are often refractory to other available treatments, ophthalmic or systemic tacrolimus is a welcome nontoxic adjunct or replacement to potentially toxic topical or systemic immunosuppressive therapies.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds of State Key Lab (Grant number 303060202400413).The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this review.

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 54th Xianlie Road, Guangzhou, 510060, China

    Jiajie Zhai, Jianjun Gu,  Jin Yuan &  Jiaqi Chen

  2. Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, China

    Jiajie Zhai

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  1. Jiajie Zhai
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  2. Jianjun Gu
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Correspondence to Jin Yuan or Jiaqi Chen.

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Zhai, J., Gu, J., Yuan, J. et al. Tacrolimus in the Treatment of Ocular Diseases. BioDrugs 25, 89–103 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2165/11587010-000000000-00000

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Keywords

  • Tacrolimus
  • Uveitis
  • Ocular Surface
  • Corneal Graft
  • Tacrolimus Ointment