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Pharmacologic Vitreolysis: Experimental Evidence

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Diseases of the Vitreo-Macular Interface

Part of the book series: Essentials in Ophthalmology ((ESSENTIALS))

Abstract

Vitreolytic agents are characterized by their ability to induce vitreous liquefaction, separation of the posterior hyaloid, or both. Both enzymatic and nonenzymatic approaches have been tested in experimental models. While several are effective inducers of a posterior vitreous detachment, in vivo testing indicated the presence of a narrow safety profile in most tested compounds, limiting further development. The lack of a standardized methodology to assess for the presence of a PVD in both experimental and clinical settings and the inability to judge the extent of the effect makes direct comparison between compounds difficult.

This chapter reviews preclinical publicly available knowledge on known vitreolytic compounds and further discusses means of optimizing vitreolysis based on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ocriplasmin, the best-studied vitreolytic enzyme to date. Such optimization may require not only appropriate delivery but in certain circumstances combination with additional liquefactive agents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Retina and Ocular Inflammation, MIOS, Specialized Eye Center in Uveitis and Retina, Avenue du Leman 32, Lausanne, 1005, Switzerland

    Marc D. de Smet MDCM, PhD, FRCSC, FRCOphth, FMH

  2. Vitreoretinal Surgery Unit, Clinique de Montchoisi, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Marc D. de Smet MDCM, PhD, FRCSC, FRCOphth, FMH

  3. Retina and Inflammation, MIOS, Avenue du Leman 32, Lausanne, 1005, Switzerland

    Aranzazu Mateo-Montoya MD, FEBO, FMH

Authors
  1. Marc D. de Smet MDCM, PhD, FRCSC, FRCOphth, FMH
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  2. Aranzazu Mateo-Montoya MD, FEBO, FMH
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Correspondence to Marc D. de Smet MDCM, PhD, FRCSC, FRCOphth, FMH .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. ThromboGenics NV, Leuven, Belgium

    Aniz Girach

  2. Clinique de Montchoisi, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Marc D. de Smet

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Compliance with Ethical Requirements

Prof de Smet declares to have received research grants from ThromboGenics, Inc.; received speaker’s honoraria from ThromboGenics, Inc. and Alcon, Inc.; and is a consultant for ThromboGenics on preclinical studies and development. The author is also a patent holder on the ocular application of ocriplasmin.

Dr Aranzazu Mateo-Montoya declares that she has no conflict of interest.

No animal or human studies were carried out by the authors for this chapter.

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de Smet, M.D., Mateo-Montoya, A. (2014). Pharmacologic Vitreolysis: Experimental Evidence. In: Girach, A., de Smet, M. (eds) Diseases of the Vitreo-Macular Interface. Essentials in Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40034-6_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40034-6_10

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