Effects of commercial amniotic membrane extract on the re‐epithelialization time and the early expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 in cats with experimentally induced corneal ulcers

Abstract Objectives To investigate whether a commercially available amniotic membrane extract (AME) can accelerate corneal wound healing and suppress the early expression of MMP‐9 in the tears of cats with experimentally induced superficial ulcerative keratitis. Procedures A total number of 16 cats were included. At the end of keratectomy, cats in the treatment group (TG, n = 8) received 40 μl of AME (EyeQ® Amniotic Eye Drops, Vetrix®) four times daily, while cats in the control group (CG, n = 8) received 40 μl of saline at the same time points. Tears were collected 24 and 48 h after keratectomy, and the total MMP‐9 was quantified by ELISA. Results The corneal re‐epithelialization rate did not differ between groups ( p = .26), being 0.48 ± 0.05 mm 2 /h in the CG and 0.41 ± 0.03 mm 2 /h in the TG. Similarly, the average time to achieve corneal wound healing did not differ between groups ( p = .25) and was 61.50 ± 3.54 h in the CG and 70.50 ± 6.71 h in the TG. The dimensions of the ulcerated areas also did not differ at any time point between the groups ( p > .05). In both groups, corneas healed without scarring, pigmentation, or vascularization. The expression of MMP‐9 in the tears was similar in both groups at 24 h post‐keratectomy, with a slight decrease at 48 h ( p > .05). Conclusions The instillation of a commercial AME (EyeQ®) is safe, but it did not decrease the corneal re‐epithelialization time or the early expression of MMP‐9 in the tears of cats with experimentally induced superficial ulcerative keratitis in this study.