Penetration of ocular compartments by tetracyclines. I. An experimental study with tetracycline.

Total antibiotic concentration of tetracycline hydrochloride was determined in the ocular structures of rabbits by radioactive tracer method. Concentration of tetracycline of 0.1 to 5 microgram/g, adequate to inhibit the growth of bacteria of high or medium susceptibility, was measured from all ocular structures with the exception of the lens. Tetracycline concentration in the aqueous humor was inferior to that in the vascularized ocular tissues and to that in the cornea. Vitreous body tetracycline level, about 0.3 microgram/g, was about half of the concentration in the aqueous humor. The disruption of the blood-aqueous barrier following paracentesis led to an immediate increase of tetracycline concentration in the anterior structures of the eye.