Purpose: This paper studies the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) levels in aqueous humor after traumatic cataract extraction and posterior chamber (PC) intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in rabbits, and discusses the effect of TNF on postoperative anterior ocular inflammation.
Methods: Twenty-seven pigmented rabbits were divided into three groups: for the first group, the IOL were placed in the capsular bag after traumatic cataract extraction; for the second, the Extracapsular cataract extraction without IOL implantation; and for the third, the control group without surgical intervention. On the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 14th day postoperatively, aqueous humor samples were obtained. A modified double antibodies indirect sandwich ELISA was used to detected for the presence of TNF. The data were studied by means of analysis of variance in SAS software.
Result: The TNF level was increased in aqueous humor and reached its maximum on the 1st postoperative days after traumatic cataract extraction and PC IOLs implantation, and the TNF levels are significantly higher (P<0.05) on the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 14th day postoperatively in traumatic cataract extraction and PC IOL implanted group than that in the non-surgical-intervention group and extracapsular cataract extraction group.
Conclusions: The increase of TNF levels had a close relationship with presence of the IOL itself which induces the secretion of TNF. This suggested that TNF as the principal mediators of immunological and inflammatory responses, so that may play critical role in anterior ocular inflammative response after traumatic cataract extraction and IOL implantation.