Purpose: This work aimed at describing the time course of vitreous clearance through the use of positron emission tomography (PET) as a noninvasive tool for pharmacokinetic studies of intravitreal injection.
Methods: The pharmacokinetic profile of intravitreal injections of molecules labeled with 18Fluorine (18F) was evaluated in adult Sprague Dawley rats by using a dedicated small-animal PET/computed tomography scanner. Different conditions were studied: three molecules radiolabeled with 18F (18F-FDG, 18F-NaF, and 18F-Choline), three volumes of intravitreal injections (7, 4, and 2 μL), and absence or presence of eye inflammation (uveitis).
Results: Our results showed that there are significant pharmacokinetic differences among the radiolabeled molecules studied but not among the injected volumes. The presence or absence of uveitis was an important factor in vitreous clearance, since the elimination of the drug was clearly increased when this condition is present.
Conclusions: Intravitreal pharmacokinetic studies based on the use of dedicated PET imaging can be of potential interest as noninvasive tools in ophthalmic drug development in small animals.