Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate cell damage and the formation of cytokines in a human lens epithelial (HLE) cell line (SRA01/04) exposed to either latanoprost (LP), travoprost (TP), benzalkonium chloride (BAC) or a new preservative, sofZia (SOF).
Methods: :
HLE cells were cultured in DMEM with 5% FBS. The topical drop concentration of LP (50µg/ml), TP (40µg/ml) or BAC (200µg/ml) or 2X dilution of SOF, and their 10X to 1000X dilutions were added to the medium. Cell morphology was observed by phase-contrast microscopy. Each exposure medium was collected following 7 days of culture for the analysis of PGE2, IL1-α and IL6.
Results: :
With a 10X dilution of SOF, no proliferation or elongation of the cells were observed. There were no remarkable changes in cell morphology and the release of cytokines with the 100X and 1000X dilution of SOF. At the 100X dilution, the ratio of cytokine release compared to control was 0.5-1.8 for LP, TP and SOF. At the 100X dilution of BAC, none of the cells survived and even at the 1000X dilution of BAC, the release of cytokines was significantly greater than control (P < 0.05). In contrast, the release of cytokines by 10X dilution of LP or TP were 1to 7X higher than those of the control.
Conclusions: :
We have previously reported eye drops for glaucoma cause cystoid macular edema after cataract surgery, suggesting the increase of cytokine release by the preservative, BAC, in HLE cells. These new results indicate that while all components induce some level of cell damage and formation of cytokines in HLE cells, BAC is the most toxic.
Keywords: drug toxicity/drug effects • cell survival • cytokines/chemokines