comparison of different doses of subconjunctival sunitinib with bevacizumab in the treatment of corneal neovascularization in experimental rats

background: to compare the efficacy of subconjunctival administration of bevacizumab and different doses of sunitinib malate in reducing corneal neovascularization (cnv). materials and methods: in this experimental study, central corneal cauterization was created in the right eye of fifty male sprague–dawley rats. on day 1 (1 week after cauterization), rats were randomly assigned into five treatment groups. group control ( n = 10) received subconjunctival injection of 0.02 ml of base saline solution. group 1 ( n = 10) received 0.02 ml of bevacizumab (25 mg/ml). group 2, 3, and 4 ( n = 10 for each group) were treated with 0.02 ml of sunitinib malate (10, 20, and 50 ?g/ml, respectively). on days 1, 7, and 14, digital photographs of the cornea were taken, and the area of cnv was measured. results: during the 2?week follow?up, cnv area in treatment groups was less than in control group ( p < 0.05). on day 7, corneal avascular area was highest in group 3 at 63%. on day 14, the area of cnv in groups 2 and 3 was less than in group 1 ( p = 0.031 and 0.011, respectively), but the difference between groups 2 and 3 was not statistically significant ( p = 0.552). the decreased cnv area on day 14 in group 4 was significant in comparison to bevacizumab, but it was not significant on day 7 ( p = 0.25 on day 7 and 0.002 on day 14). conclusion: subconjunctival sunitinib malate is more effective than bevacizumab in regressing cnv. this effect is more prominent on day 14.