Purpose: To determine the toxicity of various doses of intravitreal amphotericin B deoxycholate, amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC), and liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB).
Methods: Fifty-two rabbits were divided into two treatment groups (groups A and B). Thirteen treatments were administered intravitreally to the 104 rabbit eyes. Treatments included a control plus 10, 20, 30, and 50 micro g amphotericin B deoxycholate, ABLC, and L-AmB. Eye examinations were performed before injection and on day 11 for group A and on day 18 for group B. At death, on days 13 and 21 in groups A and B, respectively, vitreous humor was aspirated and concentrations of amphotericin B were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), followed by enucleation for histologic studies.
Results: Significantly more eyes treated with ABLC showed development of vitreal opacities than developed in eyes treated with amphotericin B deoxycholate or L-AmB (P < 0.05). Vitreal band formation was significantly higher in ABLC-treated eyes than in those treated with L-AmB, (P = 0.039). Vitreal inflammation was greater in eyes treated with L-AmB (75%), amphotericin B deoxycholate (78%), and ABLC (91%) than with the control (50%; P = 0.08). Retinal ganglion cell loss was greater in eyes treated with amphotericin B deoxycholate (81%), L-AmB (91%), and ABLC (97%) than with the control (38%; P = 0.003). Amphotericin B concentrations were measurable for all doses of the three formulations.
Conclusions: Based on histologic data, increasing doses of all three agents appear to be associated with increasing toxicity, however based on ophthalmologic data, L-AmB appears to be less toxic than either amphotericin B deoxycholate or ABLC.