After damaging the eye tissue with enzymes, adding a saline solution (vehicle) made the stiffness drop even more by about 26% compared to the damaged state.
Scientific Claim
In rat peripapillary sclera tissue, vehicle treatment after MMP-1 damage is associated with a 26.0% further decrease in Young's modulus compared to MMP-1-damaged tissue.
Original Statement
“Application of vehicle after MMP-1 treatment led to a further 26.0% reduction in average Young’s modulus, or a total reduction of 54.3% from baseline (Figure 1C, Table 1).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The study design is treated as non-causal evidence per GRADE analysis, so using 'associated with' is appropriate. The specific percentage change is accurately reported from the data.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Collagen Mimetic Peptides Promote Repair of MMP-1-Damaged Collagen in the Rodent Sclera and Optic Nerve Head