Erufosine, a phosphoinositide-3-kinase inhibitor, to mitigate posterior capsule opacification in the human capsular bag model.

PURPOSE: To determine whether erufosine alone or erufosine-loaded intraocular lenses (IOLs) can inhibit growth of human lens epithelial cells after a single administration in the human capsular bag model.

SETTING: Laboratory for Cell Biology, Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.

DESIGN: Experimental study.

METHODS: Sixteen human cadaver eyes had sham cataract surgery. The capsular bag was transferred into cell culture. The tissue was exposed to the half maximum inhibitory concentrations of erufosine alone for 72 hours; solvent-only tissue served as a control. Erufosine is a potent inhibitor of phosphoinositide-3-kinase, a downstream kinase with major implications in posterior capsule opacification (PCO) pathogenesis. The IOLs were soaked with erufosine and implanted in the capsular bags; unsoaked IOLs served as controls. For both settings, the time until confluence of the capsular bag was measured. Cell growth was observed and photodocumented.

RESULTS: Erufosine as a single therapeutic agent increased the time until confluence of the capsular bag, but not significantly compared with the control. When IOLs were soaked with erufosine, a long-term prophylactic effect was observed in this organ model for PCO, which is known to closely reflect the clinical situation.

CONCLUSION: Erufosine-soaked IOLs effectively inhibited PCO formation as seen in long-term organ culture and might become of clinical relevance.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES: Drs. Kampik and Eibl-Lindner are inventors of IOLs treated with alkylphosphocholines for pharmacological after-cataract prophylaxis, patent international application PCT/EP2010/051490. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.