title: Effects of an experimental contact lens disinfectant on rabbit corneal epithelium cultures.
abstract: We investigated the toxicity of a new, chlorine-based, experimental contact lens disinfectant (Alcide Corp., Norwalk, CT) on rabbit corneal epithelium in tissue culture. Explants of isolated corneal epithelium were grown in tissue culture for 7 days and then exposed for 1 h to one of three different concentrations of the experimental disinfectant or to a saline control. At the manufacturer's standard concentration, and at one-half the standard concentration, the relative area covered by living cells in the culture was reduced an average of 32% 3 days after treatment. At double the standard concentration, the area was reduced 63%, which was a significant reduction in comparison with controls. All groups showed some recovery in area of living epithelial cells within 7 days after treatment. In comparison with similar studies on other chemicals used in ophthalmic preparations, these results suggest that this chlorine-based disinfectant is relatively nontoxic to corneal epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Southern California College of Optometry, Fullerton.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Akamine
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: LaMotte
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003261:Contact Lenses; D003315:Cornea / Q000187:drug effects*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants