Abstract：
Fungal keratitis is a severe corneal infection characterized by suppurative and ulcerative lesions. Aspergillus fumigatus is a common cause of fungal keratitis. Antifungal drugs, such as natamycin, are currently the first-line treatment for fungal keratitis, but their ineffectiveness leads to blindness and perforation. Additionally, the development of fungal resistance makes treating fungal keratitis significantly more challenging. The present study used platelet-derived biomaterial (PDB) to manage A. fumigatus keratitis in the animal model. Freezing and thawing processes were used to prepare PDB, and then A. fumigatus keratitis was induced in the mice. Topical administration of PDB, natamycin, and plasma was performed; quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and histopathologic examination (HE) were used to assess the inhibitory effect of the mentioned compounds against fungal keratitis. The qPCR results showed that PDB significantly decreased the count of A. fumigatus compared to the control group (P-value ≤ 5). Natamycin also remarkably reduced the count of fungi in comparison to the untreated animal, but its inhibitory effect was not better than PDB (P-value > 5). The findings of HE also demonstrated that treatment with PDB and natamycin decreased the fungal loads in the corneal tissue. However, plasma did not show a significant inhibitory effect against A. fumigatus. PDB is intrinsically safe and free of any infections or allergic responses; additionally, this compound has a potential role in decreasing the burden of A. fumigatus and treating fungal keratitis. Therefore, scientists should consider PDB an applicable approach to managing fungal keratitis and an alternative to conventional antifungal agents.
摘要：
真菌性角膜炎是一种严重的角膜感染，其特征是化脓性和溃疡性病变。烟曲霉是真菌性角膜炎的常见原因。抗真菌药物,如纳他霉素，目前是真菌性角膜炎的一线治疗方法，但是它们的无效性会导致失明和穿孔。此外,真菌耐药性的发展使得治疗真菌性角膜炎更具挑战性。本研究使用血小板衍生的生物材料（PDB）在动物模型中管理烟曲霉角膜炎。使用冷冻和解冻工艺制备PDB，然后在小鼠中诱发烟曲霉角膜炎。PDB的局部给药，纳他霉素,定量实时PCR(qPCR)和组织病理学检查(HE)用于评估所述化合物对真菌性角膜炎的抑制作用。qPCR结果显示,与对照组相比,PDB显著降低了烟曲霉的计数(P值≤5)。与未经治疗的动物相比，纳他霉素还显着减少了真菌的数量，但其抑制作用不优于PDB（P值>5）。HE的发现还表明，用PDB和游霉素治疗可降低角膜组织中的真菌负荷。然而,血浆对烟曲霉菌没有明显的抑制作用。PDB本质上是安全的，没有任何感染或过敏反应；此外，该化合物在降低烟曲霉的负担和治疗真菌性角膜炎方面具有潜在作用。因此,科学家应将PDB视为治疗真菌性角膜炎的适用方法,也是常规抗真菌药物的替代方法.
