Effects of antiglaucoma drugs on calcium mobility in cultured corneal endothelial cells.

The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of various antiglaucoma drugs including betaxolol, timolol, levobunolol, brimonidine, carteolol, dipivefrin, dorzolamide, brinzolamide, latanoprost, unoprostone, and pilocarpine on intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) mobility in cultured bovine corneal endothelial cells. Various antiglaucoma drugs were diluted from original concentrations to 1/ 100, 1/ 1,000, and 1/ 10,000. The [Ca2+] mobility was studied by spectrofluorophotometry after loading with the ester of fura-2 (fura-2/AM). It was found that timolol (58 microM and 5.8 microM), levobunolol (171 microM, 17.1 microM, and 1.71 microM), betaxolol (162 microM, 16.2 microM, and 1.62 microM), carteolol (680 microM and 68 microM), dipivefrin (28 microM and 2.8 microM), dorzolamide (616 microM and 61.6 microM), brinzolamide (260 microM), latanoprost (1.1 microM), unoprostone (28.2 microM, 2.82 microM, and 0.282 microM), and pilocarpine (408 micro and 40.8 microM) induced a significant increase in [Ca2+]i. Nevertheless, only brimonidine (68 microM and 6.8 microM) decreased [Ca2+]i concentration significantly. Benzalkonium chloride preservative did not affect [Ca2+]i after addition of 0.001, 0.0001 and 0.00001 mg/mL to cells. These results indicate that all antiglaucoma drugs may affect the physiologic function of corneal endothelial cells through change of [Ca2+]i mobility.