title: Fimbrolide-coated antimicrobial lenses: their in vitro and in vivo effects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the ability of contact lenses coated with fimbrolides, inhibitors of bacterial quorum sensing, to prevent microbial adhesion and their safety during short-term clinical assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A fimbrolide was covalently attached to commercially available high Dk contact lenses. Subsequently Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, or Acanthamoeba sp. were added to the lenses and control uncoated contact lenses. Lenses plus microbes were incubated for 24 h, then washed thoroughly to remove non-adherent microbes. Lenses were macerated and resulting slurry plated onto agar plates. After appropriate incubation, the numbers of colony forming units of bacteria (or numbers of Acanthamoeba trophozoites measured using a hemocytometer) from fimbrolide-coated and uncoated lenses were examined. A Guinea Pig model of lens wear was used to assess the safety of lenses worn on a continuous basis for 1 month. In a separate study, 10 subjects wore fimbrolide-coated lenses for 24 h. The responses of the Guinea Pigs and human volunteers to the lenses were assessed by slit lamp examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fimbrolides-coated lenses reduced the adhesion of all bacterial strains tested, with reductions occurring of between 67 and 92%. For Acanthamoeba a reduction of 70% was seen. There were no significant differences in ocular responses to fimbrolide-coated lenses compared with controls in either the 1 month animal model or overnight human trial.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fimbrolide-coated lenses show promise as an antibacterial and anti-acanthamoebal coating on contact lenses and appear to be safe when worn on the eye in an animal model.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Eye Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.forename: Rani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bandara
authors.forename: Aidong
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Indrani
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: Naresh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lao
authors.forename: Stefani S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Griesser
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Britcher
authors.forename: Hans J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Griesser
authors.forename: Mark D P
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Willcox
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003262:Contact Lenses, Extended-Wear; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000187:drug effects; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents