Introduction: Chlorinated-water-induced corneal wounds lead to reduced transparency and disability of the cornea. Sodium hyaluronate (SH) is a natural lubricant with unique hygroscopic properties that control tissue hydration for topical eye care with excellent use as an ophthalmic product.
Aim of the work: To evaluate the protective effects of sodium hyaluronate on corneal injuries induced by chlorinated water in adult male rabbits.
Materials and Methods: A total of 20 adult male rabbits were divided equally into four groups treated with 2 drops of sodium hyaluronate on the corneal surface of both eyes two times daily for one month as follow: Group I (G1) was control group treated with distilled water, group II (G2) treated with chlorinated water, group III (G3) treated with SH while, group IV (G4) was treated with 2 drops of SH then 2 drops of chlorinated water. The corneas were excised and processed for histological and immunohistochemical study.
Results: G2 showed epithelial thinning with some areas of cellular ulceration. Disturbance of normal stromal architecture, wide separation of collagen fibers and few degenerated keratocytes were noticed. In addition, a significant decrease of BCL-2 immunoexpression was observed in the cytoplasm of corneal epithelial cells (P