[Study on conservative treatment of retinoblastoma--effect of intravitreal injection of melphalan on the rabbit retina].
Effects of an intravitreal injection of melphalan on the electroretinogram and on the retinal structure were studied in albino rabbits to establish the non-toxic dose for its intravitreal use. The a-wave, the b-wave, the c-wave, the oscillatory potential and the retinal structure remained unchanged after 10-micrograms injection, but moderately changed after 20-micrograms injection and greatly deteriorated after 90-micrograms injection. A 10-micrograms injection is equal to an intravitreal concentration of about 5.9 micrograms/ml, if evenly diffused in the rabbit vitreous. Considering that colony formation of in vitro retinoblastoma cells is completely suppressed by melphalan at 4 micrograms/ml concentration, an intravitreal application of melphalan could be used as a non-surgical treatment for retinoblastoma.
Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Ishikawa-ken, Japan.
M
M
Ueda
J
J
Tanabe
M
M
Inomata
A
A
Kaneko
T
T
Kimura
D000818:Animals; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004596:Electroretinography / Q000187:drug effects; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007267:Injections; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects*; D012175:Retinoblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014822:Vitreous Body
D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D008558:Melphalan