Ace Therapeutics has gained extensive experience in pharmaceutical toxicology studies. We are committed to helping you identify potential ocular toxic reactions to antipsychotic drugs through our preclinical ocular toxicity analysis services. We are pleased to share our experience and specific recommendations with our clients around the world.

The Importance of Ocular Toxicity Analysis of Antipsychotic Drugs

The eye is considered to be the second most common organ, after the liver, to show drug toxicity. Psychotropic medications may cause many potential ocular adverse effects, depending on the nature of the medication, the dosage, and the interaction with specific mechanisms in the body organ. For example, antipsychotics may cause ocular dystonia. In addition, retinopathy has been shown to be associated with high doses of typical antipsychotics. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the potential side effects of psychotropic medications.

Fig. 1 Examples of drugs affecting different parts of the eye. (Ahmad R, Mehta H. 2021)

Ocular Toxicity Analysis Services

Ace Therapeutics can perform safety and efficacy assessments for all ocular indications arising from antipsychotic drugs. Our ocular toxicity analysis services can be performed under GLP or non-GLP conditions, both as stand-alone studies and as part of general and specialized toxicology programs. We can perform the following assessments of the potential toxicity in the eye caused by antipsychotic drugs

• Ocular toxicity assessment: We can assess the possible side effects of antipsychotic drugs on ocular structures and functions, such as visual impairment, ocular inflammation, and keratopathy.
• Cytotoxicity assessment: We can assess the direct toxicity of antipsychotic drugs on ocular cells, such as corneal cells and scleral cells.
• Metabolic toxicity assessment: We can assess the possible toxic reactions of the metabolites of antipsychotic drugs on the eye.
• Photoreactivity assessment: We can assess the possible photoreactivity of antipsychotic drugs, such as photosensitivity ophthalmia.
• Long-term safety assessment: We can assess the possible chronic toxic reactions to the eye from long-term use of antipsychotic drugs.

Our Capabilities

Ace Therapeutics has an experienced ocular pathology team and we can perform specialized pathological evaluations of ocular tissues to support any of your ocular toxicology study needs, including routine paraffin or frozen sections, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy. We can provide the following preclinical analysis services.

• Electroretinography
• Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and retinal layer segmentation
• Measurement of corneal thickness
• Digital fundus photography/video
• Confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy
• Fundus autofluorescence
• Vitrectomy
• Aqueous/vitreous fluid collection and biomarker quantification
• Slit lamp biomicroscopy
• Indirect and direct ophthalmoscopy
• Gonioscopy
• Streak retinoscopy

Ace Therapeutics is committed to being your partner in the development of antipsychotic drugs. We offer a variety of preclinical toxicology evaluation services to our global clients. We are pleased to provide our clients with a one-stop shop for this service in a fast and cost-effective manner through our in-house analytical support. If you are interested in this service, please make an inquiry to learn how we can support you in your project.

Reference

1. Ahmad R, Mehta H. The ocular adverse effects of oral drugs [published correction appears in Aust Prescr. 2021 Oct;44(5):177]. Aust Prescr. 2021, 44(4):129-136.