Fluoropyrimidine treatment of ocular cicatricial disease.

The authors have studied the antiproliferative and anticontractile effects of fluorouracil, fluorouridine, and fluorodeoxyuridine on rabbit dermal fibroblasts. All three drugs have antiproliferative effects, the order of their efficacy being fluorodeoxyuridine greater than fluorouridine greater than fluorouracil. In contrast, only fluorouridine and fluorouracil have anticontractile effects. Fluorouridine requires less time of exposure and has greater anticontractile effects than fluorouracil. Thymidine eliminates the antiproliferative effects of fluorodeoxyuridine, but has no effect on either the antiproliferative or anticontractile effects of fluorouracil and fluorouridine. These results suggest that the anticontractile effects of the fluoropyrimidines are caused by their incorporation into RNA and not by the inhibition of DNA synthesis. Metabolites of fluorouracil may provide enhanced control of cell proliferation and contractility in the management of ocular disorders such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy and glaucoma.