The Effect of Mitomycin-C on the Function of Corneal Endothelial Cells in Rabbit

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to investigate the toxicity of mitomycin-C[MMC]to the corneal endothelial cells, which is medical adjunct to pterygium and glaucoma surgery.Rabbit corneas were mounted in the in-vitro dual-chambered specular microscope.Corneal endothelium was perfused with the glutathione-bicarbonate-Ringer[GBR]solution for one hour, then, perfused with 0.02%, 0.01%, and 0.005%MMC in GBR solution in experimental groups, and with GBR solution only in control group.Corneal thickness was measured every 15 minutes during perfusion and corneal swelling rate was calculated.Corneal endothelial permeability was also measured in another experiment.In MMC-mixed group, the early swelling rate decreased due to osmolarity of MMC, but after removal of MMC, the swelling rate increased compared to that of the control group.The pattern of increase was not a linear form, but a secondary curve with the plateau. In 0.02%and 0.01%MMC group, corneas swelled significantly, but not in 0.005%group.Corneal endothelial permeability was 4.21 +/-0.50 x10-4cm/min at 0.005%MMC, 4.10 +/-0.93 x10-4cm/min in control, and 4.25 +/-0.48 x10-4cm/min at 0.01% MMC, 3.73 +/-0.73 x10-4cm/min in control. No significant changes in permeability was observed.In conclusion, MMC of 0.01% or higher exposed to corneal endothelial cells induced corneal swelling of which mechanism was thought to be due to inhibition of Na/K-ATPase by MMC.