Toxicity of vancomycin on corneal endothelium in rabbits

PURPOSE: To evaluate the toxic effect of vancomycin on the corneal endothelium related to concentrations of vancomycin. METHODS: The toxic effect is assessed with a weighing method that gives a measure of endothelial function. Thirty-three rabbit corneas were divided into four groups. Three groups of seven corneas each were exposed to concentrations of 1.0 mg/ml, 3.0 mg/ml and 5.0 mg/ml vancomycin, respectively. The fourth group of twelve corneas served as a control group. RESULTS: The corneas exposed to 1.0 mg/ml vancomycin showed no significant weight increase, while the corneas exposed to 3.0 mg/ml and 5.0 mg/ml showed a significant weight increase as compared to the control corneas. The weight increase was significantly larger in the group of corneas exposed to 5.0 mg/ml as compared to 3.0 mg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: In the interval of tested concentrations there is a dose response relationship between vancomycin concentrations and endothelial toxicity. This experiment shows that vancomycin in the concentration of 1.0 mg/ml is non-toxic to the endothelium, while 3.0 mg/ml and 5.0 mg/ml increasingly impair endothelial function.