Evaluation of cytotoxicity of some common ophthalmic drugs.

OBJECTIVE The study was aimed at evaluating the in vitro cytotoxicity of some commonly used drugs in ophthalmology. Hydrocortisone sodium succinate, Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, 5-Fluorouracil, Tobramycin and Pilocarpine nitrate are frequently used in various indications involving eye care, and the aim was to test the safety of these in cell culture. MATERIALS AND METHODS The in vitro cytotoxicity was carried out on the NIH 3T3 cell line by the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. RESULTS With the exception of 5-Fluorouracil, none of the other drugs demonstrated appreciable cytotoxicity up to high concentrations of 200 µg/ml at 48 hours of drug exposure. CONCLUSIONS Hydrocortisone sodium succinate, Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, Tobramycin and Pilocarpine nitrate were confirmed to be non-cytotoxic while 5-Fluorouracil was highly cytotoxic especially at 48 hours at very low concentrations.