[In vitro changes in the lens epithelium and corneal endothelium caused by the cytostatic drug daunomycin].

We evaluated the effects of the antiproliferative drug daunomycin on the viability and proliferation of cultured porcine lens epithelial cells. After a single short-term application, daunomycin penetrates the lens epithelial cells within 5 min. At a concentration of 2.5-7.5 mg/l, daunomycin has a low level of acute cytotoxicity and significantly suppresses the mitotic activity of the epithelial cells in culture. The daunomycin-induced endothelial lesions in freshly excised pig corneas were quantified with the Janus green photometry technique (n = 30) and studied with scanning electron microscopy (n = 9) in comparison to Ringer solution, which served as the control (n = 39). Whether the endothelial lesions were exposed to daunomycin or Ringer solution for 10 or 30 min seemed to make no significant difference. In addition, daunomycin did not seem to induce any morphological changes in the endothelial surface. These in vitro results confirm our clinical experience that daunomycin is apparently not harmful to the adult human corneal endothelium. Our results indicate that short-term endocapsular application of daunomycin during extracapsular cataract extraction, with or without IOL implantation, may prevent and/or delay the formation of capsular opacification.