Short-term effects of topical tafluprost on retinal blood flow in cats

• Published in: Journal of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics Vol. 24; no. 5; p. 521
• Main Authors: Izumi, Naohiro, Nagaoka, Taiji, Sato, Eiichi, Mori, Fumihiko, Takahashi, Atsushi, Sogawa, Kenji, Yoshida, Akitoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2008
• Subjects: Administration, Topical; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents - administration & dosage; Antihypertensive Agents - pharmacology; Blood Flow Velocity - drug effects; Cats; Female; Intraocular Pressure - drug effects; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; Male; Ophthalmic Solutions; Prostaglandins F - administration & dosage; Prostaglandins F - pharmacology; Prostaglandins F, Synthetic - administration & dosage; Prostaglandins F, Synthetic - pharmacology; Regional Blood Flow - drug effects; Retinal Vessels - drug effects; Retinal Vessels - physiology; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1557-7732
• DOI: 10.1089/jop.2007.0065

The aim of this study was to determine the short-term effects of topical tafluprost, a novel prostaglandin F(2) derivative, on feline retinal circulation. Seventeen (17) adult cats were anesthetized with enflurane and mechanically ventilated. One (1) drop of tafluprost (0.0015%; n = 8), latanoprost (0.005%; n = 5), or control vehicle (n = 4) was instilled in 1 eye and the fellow eye was untreated. We measured the intraocular pressure (IOP), vessel diameter, and blood velocity simultaneously for 120 min in the large retinal arterioles and calculated the retinal blood flow (RBF) with a laser Doppler velocimetry system. Tafluprost 0.0015% significantly increased RBF (maximum change, 42.8 +/- 4.2% [mean +/- standard error of the mean; P < 0.01) and blood velocity (maximum change, 24.1 +/- 3.3%; P < 0.01) for 120 min after instillation; there was no significant change in vessel diameter. Latanoprost 0.005% significantly increased RBF (maximum change, 31.7 +/- 3.4%; P < 0.05); there was no significant change in vessel diameter and blood velocity. There were no significant differences in the IOP reduction among the three groups. We observed, for the first time, that topical tafluprost significantly increased RBF in cats, suggesting that dual-action tafluprost may be a beneficial antiglaucomatous agent for reducing IOP and increasing RBF.