Corneal Epithelial Wound Healing: A Tissue Culture Assay on the Effect of Antibiotics

Abstract

The effects of gentamicin, tobramycin and the fluorquinolone, ofloxacin on corneal epithelial wound healing were determined using an in vitro model of wound healing. Wounds were created in rabbit corneal epithelial cultures which were then exposed to various concentrations of the antibiotics. Effects on wound healing were measured by comparing migration rates between 6 and 18 hours and wound areas at various antibiotic concentrations over 36 hours. Gentamicin at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg/ml was found to statistically significantly effect wound healing compared to controls. Tobramycin on the other hand was found to have minimal effect on wound healing up to 2.0 mg/ml. Ofloxacin at concentrations greater than or equal to 0.05 mg/ml had statistically significant effects on wound-healing.

Effect of Ofloxacin and Netilmicin on Human Corneal and Conjunctival CellsIn Vitro

“…However, the currently available published studies do not support such conclusion. In fact most of the published data indicate that aminoglycosides at the concentrations normally used in the clinical setting (3 mg/mL) have minimal or even no toxicity for the corneal epithelium or keratocytes (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Nevertheless, both Nelson et al (7) and Alfonso et al (12) described a significant corneal toxicity for gentamicin (but not for tobramycin).…”

“…In fact most of the published data indicate that aminoglycosides at the concentrations normally used in the clinical setting (3 mg/mL) have minimal or even no toxicity for the corneal epithelium or keratocytes (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Nevertheless, both Nelson et al (7) and Alfonso et al (12) described a significant corneal toxicity for gentamicin (but not for tobramycin). It is interesting to note that other studies indicating an aminoglycoside cytotoxicity have to be carefully considered because they have been performed with very high antibiotic concentrations (.10 mg/mL) (6,8,13), or using commercial eye drops containing preservatives (11,(14)(15) whose negative influence on the cell integrity is well known (16)(17)(18)(19)(20).…”

Benzalkonium Chloride and Gentamicin Cause a Leak in Corneal Epithelial Cell Membrane

“…Using the tissue culture assay, Nelson et al (1990) developed an in vitro wound closure assay method as a sensitive test to screen for potential toxic effects of antibiotics on corneal epithelium. They found that gentamicin at a concentration of as low as 0 .…”

Kinematics of epithelial wound closure in the rabbit cornea

“…Since the coefficient of t 2 is ~-/32 t> 0 then the only permissible quadratics will be those concave upwards. This limitation is too restrictive a condition for the CVM to serve as a general model of wound closure in the corneal epithelium, because various experimental conditions [91][92][93][94][95] can have time courses that will be poorly described by a purely quadratic fit.…”