ropriate intervals, all the receptor liquid was withdrawn from the glass cells and an equal volume of the same receptor liquid was added to maintain a constant volume. The amount of the drug released was evaluated by UV/Vis spectrophotometry. 10% NaOH was added to all samples MEK162 before quantification. Animals Male Wistar rats weighing 180 to 220 g were obtained from the animal facility of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais. The animals were housed in a 
temperaturecontrolled room lit by fluorescent lights with a 1212h light-dark cycle. Water and food were available ad libitum. The experimental protocols were performed in accordance with institutional guidelines approved by the Ethics Committee in Animal Experimentation of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, which are in accordance with the National Institutes of Health Guidelines for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. In addition, this study is conformed to the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology statement for the use of animals in ophthalmic and vision research. Intraocular pressure evaluation IOP measurements were performed using an applanation tonometer TonoPen XL that was calibrated before use. To obtain the measures, unsedated animals were topical anesthetized by instillation of 0.4% benoxinate hydrochloride, and then were PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19748051 carefully contained with a small cloth. The tonometer was applied perpendicular to the more apical side of the cornea and three readings of IOP were acquired in each eye. The average of these three measures was considered the corresponding value of IOP. IOP measurements were performed at the same time each day or week in order to avoid circadian IOP changes. The tonometrist was masked to the treatment and an assistant performed the randomization process. IOP was analyzed before surgery in order to obtain the baseline values and then weekly until the end of the experimental period. Systemic blood pressure measurement The mean arterial pressure was evaluated by a tail cuff method, which is a noninvasive computerized system for measuring blood pressure. This tail-cuff blood pressure system utilizes volume pressure recording sensor technology to measure the rat tail blood pressure. The animals were acclimated one day before the beginning of the experiments to restraint and to tail-cuff inflation. The restraint platform was maintained at approximately 3234C. For each session the rat was placed in an acrylic box restraint and the tail was involved by the compression cuff that measured the blood pressure 15 times, to calculate the average. 4 / 18 Ocular Inserts PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19748727 of DIZE to Treat Glaucoma in Rats Induction of glaucoma Unilateral glaucoma was induced in the right eye by injection of 30 L of hyaluronic acid into the anterior chamber through the clear cornea, near to the corneoscleral limbus using an hypodermic needle, once a week, for 6 weeks, in the same calendar day and time, according to Moreno and colleagues. Rats were anesthetized intramuscularly with a mixture of ketamine and xylazine. In addition, two drops of 0.4% benoxinate hydrochloride were instilled directly on the cornea as a local anesthetic. No procedures were performed in the contralateral eyes. Evaluation of IOP and MAP were carried out one day before the next HA injection. Experimental protocols and treatments The animals were divided into six groups: non-glaucomatous rats treated with saline ; non-glaucomatous rats treated with placebo inserts; non-gl