Toxicity of Xylocaine to rabbit corneal endothelium.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the toxicity of lidocaine hydrochloride (Xylocaine) to the corneal endothelium.


METHODS
Department of Ophthalmology, Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, Paris, France.


METHODS
Rabbit corneas were excised and the endothelium was exposed to balanced salt solution (BSS), Xylocaine 1%, or Xylocaine 5% (5 corneas/group) for 20 minutes. The endothelium was then stained with trypan blue and alizarin red, and 5 photomicrographs were taken of each cornea at a standard magnification and analyzed with a digital imaging system (Biocom 200).


RESULTS
Xylocaine solutions produced changes in endothelial cell morphology, but there was no cell staining with trypan blue. Corneas exposed to Xylocaine 5% had more marked cell alterations. Small areas of cells were lost from all 15 corneas, mainly at the periphery, but the differences among the 3 groups of corneas were not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Exposure of rabbit corneal endothelium to Xylocaine solutions in vitro was not associated with trypan blue staining of endothelial cells.
Werner
L P
LP
Laboratoire Universitaire d'Ophthalmologie, Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, Paris, France.
Legeais
J M
JM
Obsler
C
C
Durand
J
J
Renard
G
G
D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D000880:Anthraquinones; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000633:toxicity*; D011817:Rabbits; D014343:Trypan Blue
D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D000880:Anthraquinones; C010078:alizarin; D008012:Lidocaine; D014343:Trypan Blue