title: Selection of therapeutic agents for intraocular proliferative disease 3. Effects of fluoropyrimidines on cell-mediated contraction of human fibroblasts.
abstract: We evaluated the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and 5-fluorouridine (5-FUR) as anticontractile agents in an in vitro model that measures the ability of human and rabbit fibroblasts to contract a collagen gel. Human fibroblasts were more contractile than rabbit fibroblasts, required higher concentrations of 5-FUR for inhibition of contraction, and were able to tolerate higher doses of the drug. 5-FU failed to inhibit contraction of human fibroblasts at concentrations up to 1.5 mM (200 micrograms ml-1), but significantly inhibited rabbit fibroblast contraction, although to a lesser degree than 5-FUR under similar conditions. 5-Fluorouridine (100 microM, 26 micrograms ml-1) inhibited contraction of human fibroblasts by more than 80%, whereas only 10 microM (2.6 micrograms ml-1) 5-FUR was required for 90% inhibition of rabbit fibroblast contraction. 5-FUR was cytotoxic to rabbit fibroblasts at concentrations of 200 microM (52 micrograms ml-1) or greater, but 800 microM was non-toxic to human fibroblasts after 96 hr exposure. At concentrations of 1.5 mM, 5-FU had no significant effects on the viability of either human or rabbit fibroblasts. These results suggest that 5-FUR may prove useful for the treatment of human ocular proliferative disorders in which contraction of fibrocellular elements is thought to play a part. They also suggest that fluoropyrimidine dosages found to be effective in a rabbit model of proliferative vitreoretinopathy may be less effective in humans and that 5-FUR levels shown to be toxic to rabbit-derived cells may be tolerated by humans cells.
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Institute of Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hartzer
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Blumenkranz
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hajek
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Dailey
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Margherio
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003094:Collagen / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005782:Gels; D006801:Humans; D012590:Sclera / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014529:Uridine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; C001943:5-fluorouridine; D003094:Collagen; D005472:Fluorouracil; D014529:Uridine