Tacrolimus in ophthalmology

Tacrolimus is a 23 member cyclic macrolide lactone and was isolated from Streptomyces tsukubaensis in 1984.[1] it has been shown in vitro and in vivo to be a potent immunosuppressive agent. It is 100 times more powerful than cyclosporine in vitro in inhibiting T-cell proliferative responses, including mixed lymphocyte reactivity and cytotoxic T-cell generation. This immunomodulator has increasing number of implications in various aspects of ophthalmological conditions, the battle against them so far having been fought with corticosteroids, which are themselves a double edged sword. In this article we will be going through various studies which have thrown light on the future potential of applications of tacrolimus in ophthalmology.[2]