Effect of ofloxacin and netilmicin on human corneal and conjunctival cells in vitro

The purpose of this study was to compare the cytotoxic effects of the fluoroquinolone ofloxacin with that of the aminoglycoside netilmicin. Human corneal epithelial cells (HCE-T) and human conjunctival epithelial cells (Wong-Kilbourne derivative of Chang conjunctiva) were exposed to antibiotics (0.08-5.0 mg/mL) for 4 or 24 hours. Cell proliferation and viability were assessed with the MTT assay, neutral red uptake, and bromo deoxy uridine incorporation. In both cell lines, ofloxacin inhibited cell proliferation and viability. These effects were time and dose dependent. Concentrations of ofloxacin ranging from 0.4 to 2.4 mg/mL (0.04% to 0.24%) produced a 50% inhibition of proliferation and viability. In contrast, netilmicin induced no toxic effect. The differences between ofloxacin and netilmicin were highly statistically significant (p < 0.001). This finding is particularly relevant in deciding the optimal antibiotic to be applied in clinical situations in which the epithelium is compromised.