Affinity of labetalol for ocular melanin.

1 The toxicity of labetalol has been studied in mice, rats, rabbits, and dogs, and reproductive studies have been carried out in rats and rabbits. Nothing was observed in any of these species to suggest that patients taking labetalol might be exposed to any toxic hazard. 2 During the reproductive studies 14C-labetalol was used to study placental transfer. Radioactivity was present in the uveal tract of the foetal eye. 3 Radioactive labetalol but not its metabolites was bound to the melanin pigment of the eye. This binding was reversible. It was not possible to saturate the melanin of the cat and dog eye even with prolonged dosing with labetalol. 4 Chloroquine, given orally at doses of 1.5-6 mg/kg/d for 4-7 weeks, produced changes in the cat retina. When oral doses of 20 mg labetalol/d were given to cats for 7 months, no oculotoxic effects were observed. 5 Detailed ophthalmological and histological examinations were carried out on the rats, rabbits, cats and dogs used in these studies. No changes indicative of oculotoxicity were observed. In the reproductive studies no effects were observed in the developing rat or rabbit eye, which could be consequent on the placental transfer of labetalol or its metabolites.