FK-506 is a new immunosuppressant with the ability to inhibit activati
on of T-lymphocytes that would be cytolytic to an allograft. We studie
d periocular injection of FK-506 in a rat penetrating keratoplasty mod
el. Corneas were transplanted from Brown Norway rats into Lewis rat re
cipients. The transplanted rats received periocular injection of eithe
r 0.5 mg/kg FK-506 or an equivalent volume of FK-506 vehicle only. Inj
ections were given 1 day before, at keratoplasty, and every other day
after keratoplasty until allograft rejection. The group receiving FK50
6 had a significant delay in allograft rejection (p < 0.05). The FK-50
6 group rejected 12-20 days postkeratoplasty with a mean rejection tim
e (MRT) of 14.3 days, compared with 8-14 days (MRT 11.1 days) for the
control group. We conclude that periocular administration of FK506 is
effective in prolonging allograft survival in the rat penetrating kera
toplasty model.