EVALUATION OF ADVERSE OCULAR EFFECTS OF 5-FLUOROURACIL BY USING HUMAN CORNEAL EPITHELIAL CELL CULTURES

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is commonly used in ophthalmology for suppressing fibroblast activity after glaucoma surgery. Adverse effects on corneal epithelial cells have been reported to relate to 5-FU therapy. The effects of 5-FU were evaluated in vitro on SV40-immortalized human corneal epithelial cell (HCE) cultures with two cytotoxicity tests: WST-1 assay as an index of cell proliferation, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay as an index of plasma membrane integrity. The cells were exposed to 5-FU with various concentrations in serum-free medium and in medium containing 15 % (v/v) fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 1, 24, 48 and 72 hours. One-hour exposure had no effects on HCE cells. Longer exposures caused dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. Exposure to 5 mg/ml 5-FU lowered cell number to 50 % of controls after 24-hour treatment and resulted to complete cell death after 72 hours. Serum protected the cells for 24 hours, but after longer exposure times the protective nature of serum disappeared. 5-FU had only minor effects on LDH release. The LDH leakage was at its peak after 48-hour treatment.