Med Lasers.  2023 Dec;12(4):228-236. 10.25289/ML.23.036.

Effect of minocycline ointment on meibomian gland dysfunction in a rat model

• Kim HB
• Kim H
• Choi SY
• Lee DC
• Cho KJ

• KMID: 2551159
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.25289/ML.23.036

Abstract

Background
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topical minocycline on meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in a rat model and contribute to the understanding of its use for the treatment of MGD.
Methods
To establish an MGD rat model, complete Freund’s adjuvant injections were administered. The rats were randomly assigned to six groups (control, control with minocycline, MGD, MGD with minocycline, MGD with oxytetracycline, and MGD with cyclosporine), and each group received treatments twice daily for three weeks. During the experimental period, ocular symptom score assessments, including tear break-up time, meibomian swelling, telangiectasia, and corneal fluorescein staining, were performed and analyzed. After 3 weeks, tissues were gathered, examined under a light microscope, and subjected to immunohistochemistry analysis.
Results
The results showed that the minocycline treatment group had a significantly lower fluorescein staining score, lower levels of inflammation in the tissues, and longer tear break-up time compared to the MGD group. The study found that topical minocycline had a positive effect in controlling the level of inflammation in ocular tissues and improving the ocular sign scores compared to the other treatments.
Conclusion
The study investigated the potential of topical minocycline in treating MGD and found that it had positive effects in reducing inflammation and improving ocular signs, when compared to other treatments. The main advantages of topical minocycline include the low incidence of side effects and high drug concentrations in the ocular tissues.

Keyword

Meibomian gland; Meibomian gland dysfunction; Minocycline