Avaliação comparativa e randomizada do uso tópico de tacrolimus 00,3%, soro alogênico e heterólogo no tratamento da síndrome do olho seco em cães

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of allogeneic and heterologous serum eye drops and compare them with conventional treatment based on the immunomodulator tacrolimus 0.03% and evaluate the safety and efficacy of the processing of the blood serum eye drop. METHODS: Through a prospective, randomized clinical trial, we evaluated the improvement in clinical signs of dry eye syndrome in dogs treated with 20% heterologous and allogeneic blood serum eye drops (both administered five times daily), compared to conventional treatment using 0.03% tacrolimus eye drops in linseed oil (twice daily for 56 days) and lubricating eye drops (0.6% sodium hyaluronate, four times daily for 30 days). The animals were assessed every 14 days from day 0 to day 56 for ocular discharge and hyperemia in both eyes, as well as Schirmer’s Tear Test 1 (STT-1) and tear break-up time (TBUT). Results were statistically analyzed with a 5% significance level. RESULTS: The study evaluated 26 eyes (13 dogs) with bilateral dry eye syndrome. For the STT-1 and TBUT parameters, there was no significant difference between the groups at any of the days evaluated (p > 0.05). However, for the variables degree of secretion and hyperemia, there was a statistically significant decrease from day zero to the other days of evaluation, regardless of the evaluated group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that allogeneic and heterologous serum eye drops have average response patterns that, based on the descriptive data analysis, approach conventional treatment in relation to the evaluated parameters. The improvement in subjective clinical signs, such as conjunctival hyperemia and ocular discharge, reinforces the potential of these therapies as safe and effective alternatives. However, the absence of significant differences in TBUT and TLS-1 indicates that further studies are recommended to better elucidate the role of blood serum eye drops as a therapeutic alternative for canine dry eye syndrome.