Effects of Healon, N,O carboxymethyl Chitosan and Vitreon on conjunctival cells and human peripheral blood lymphocytes

Hyaluronic acid (HA) and perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL) are used during and after intraocular surgery to maintain normal ocular structure. We present the results of our studies on the effects of vertebrate HA (Healon), N,O carboxymethyl Chitosan (CMC), and PFCL (perfluorophenanthrene, Vitreon) on conjunctival epithelial cells and human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL). No cytotoxic effects were observed with HA or CMC on conjunctival epithelial cells. PFCL flattened cultured conjunctival cells and was cytocidal. CMC was associated with the formation of monocyte/macrophage syncytia in mitogen stimulated PBL cultures. CMC and PFCL inhibited PBL proliferation and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (ConA) and Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) stimulated PBL. Our results indicate that HA and CMC are not toxic to conjunctival epithelial cells but suggest that CMC may affect monocyte/macrophage functions associated with T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production. PFCL is cytocidal to conjunctival epithelial cells in stationary cultures and suppresses PBL proliferation and IFN-γ production