Riboflavin and ultraviolet A as adjuvant treatment against Acanthamoeba cysts.
BACKGROUND
Experimental studies have shown that the standard dose of riboflavin (R) or R + ultraviolet-A (UVA) as solo treatment are not able to exterminate Acanthamoeba cysts or even trophozoites. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the application of R + UVA can enhance the cysticidal effects of cationic antiseptic agents in vitro.


METHODS
The log of either polyhexamethylene biguanide or chlorhexidine minimal cysticidal concentration in solutions containing riboflavin (concentrations 0.1, 0.05 and 0.025%) plus either Acanthamoeba castellanii cysts or Acanthamoeba polyphaga cysts was determined and compared in groups treated with UVA 30 mW/cm(2) for 30 min and in control groups (with no exposure to UVA). A permutation test was used to determine the P value associated with treatment.


RESULTS
Regardless of the riboflavin concentration and UVA treatment condition, no trophozoites were seen in plates where the cysts were previously exposed to cationic antiseptic agent concentrations ≥200 µg/mL for Acanthamoeba castellanii samples and ≥100 µg/mL for A. polyphaga samples. There was no statistical evidence that R + UVA treatment was associated with minimal cysticidal concentration (P = 0.82).


CONCLUSIONS
R + UVA in doses up to 10 times higher than recommended for corneal crosslinking does not enhance the cysticidal effect of either polyhexamethylene biguanide or chlorhexidine in vitro.
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Ricardo
R
Lamy
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Elliot
E
Chan
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Samuel D
SD
Good
Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Vicky
V
Cevallos
Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Travis C
TC
Porco
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Jay M
JM
Stewart
D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D001645:Biguanides / Q000494:pharmacology; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D021261:Parasitic Sensitivity Tests; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012256:Riboflavin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
D001645:Biguanides; D004202:Disinfectants; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; C031233:polihexanide; D002710:Chlorhexidine; D012256:Riboflavin
Acanthamoeba; photochemotherapy; riboflavin; ultraviolet