Aloe vera gel facilitates re-epithelialization of corneal alkali burn in normal and diabetic rats

Figures & data

Figure 1 Corneal wound healing in normal and diabetic rats treated with AV.

Notes: (A) Slit lamp photographs of fluorescein staining of corneal epithelial defects in NAV, NC, DAV, and DC groups at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours postwounding. Photographs of fluorescein staining showing better wound healing in the NAV group than in NC group at 24 and 48 hours postwounding, while DAV showing smaller corneal epithelial defect than DC at 24, 48, and 72 hours postwounding. (B) The percentage of wound area in NAV, NC, DAV, and DC groups at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours postwounding. Data are expressed as mean ± SD (n=7 rats, each group). *Significant difference in the wound area between DC group and NC group (P<0.05). **Significant difference in the wound area between NAV group and NC group (P<0.05). ***Significant difference in the wound area between DAV group and DC group (P<0.05).
Abbreviations: NC, normal control; NAV, normal aloe vera; DC, diabetic control; DAV, diabetic aloe vera; h, hours; SD, standard deviation; AV, aloe vera.

Figure 2 OCT images.

Notes: (A) Normal cornea, (B) corneal ulcer immediately after alkali burn (0 hour) (long arrow), (C) cornea of DC group at 72 hours postwounding showed corneal edema (short arrow) and incomplete epithelium, (D) cornea of DAV group at 72 hours postwounding showed complete epithelium with some corneal edema, (E) cornea of NC group at 72 hours postwounding showed partial complete epithelium with residual edema, and (F) cornea of NAV at 72 hours postwounding showed complete epithelium.
Abbreviations: OCT, optical coherence tomography; NC, normal control; NAV, normal aloe vera; DC, diabetic control; DAV, diabetic aloe vera.

Figure 3 Photomicrograph of corneal sections of normal and diabetic rats treated with AV.

Notes: (A) The figure showed normal corneal Ep and St; (B) DC group showed marked corneal epithelial degeneration (arrow) with severe neutrophilic infiltration (arrowhead); (C) DAV group showed epithelization of corneal epithelium (arrow) with fibroblastic cell in the stroma (arrowhead); (D) NC group showed corneal epithelial vacuolation with cellular infiltration (arrow) and stromal edema; (E) NAV group showed marked epithelization of cornea. (H&E, bar =100 μm.)
Abbreviations: AV, aloe vera; Ep, epithelium; St, stroma; NC, normal control; NAV, normal aloe vera; DC, diabetic control; DAV, diabetic aloe vera; H&E, hematoxylin and eosin.