title: Preservative cytotoxicity to cultured corneal epithelial cells.
abstract: Cultured human and rat corneal epithelial cells with 51Cr incorporated were used as a model to test the cytolytic action of four common preservatives. Benzalkonium chloride, chlorohexidine and thimerosol were all found to lyse greater than 40% cells when incubated for fifteen minutes at concentrations in clinical use in topical ophthalmic medications. Chlorobutanol is the only preservative tested which has a low level of cytotoxicity (10%) and which, under these conditions, can be considered a safe preservative using cytolytic activity as the means of criteria.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003315:Cornea / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D010592:Pharmaceutic Aids / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011310:Preservatives, Pharmaceutical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D003603:Cytotoxins; D010592:Pharmaceutic Aids; D011310:Preservatives, Pharmaceutical; D014316:Tritium; D013936:Thymidine