Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the riboflavin (RF) concentration and distribution in the corneal stroma and the risk for endothelial photodamage during corneal crosslinking (CXL) following 10- and 30-minute impregnation.
Methods: De-epithelialized rabbit corneas were subjected to impregnation for 10 and 30 minutes with different RF formulations. Human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) were subjected to different RF concentrations and ultraviolet A (UVA) dosages. Assays included fluorescence imaging, absorption spectroscopy of corneal buttons and anterior chamber humor, and cell viability staining.
Results: After 10 and 30 minutes of impregnation, respectively, anterior chamber fluid showed an RF concentration of (1.6 +/- 0.21).10(-4)% and (5.4 +/- 0.21).10(-4)%, and trans-corneal absorption reported an average corneal RF concentration of 0.0266% and 0.0345%. This results in a decrease in endothelial RF concentration from 0.019% to 0.0056%, whereas endothelial UVA irradiance increases by 1.3-fold when changing from 30 to 10 minutes of impregnation. HCEC viability in cultures exposed to UVA illumination and RF concentrations as concluded for the endothelium after 10- and 30-minute impregnation was nonstatistically different at 51.0%+/- 3.9 and 41.3 +/- 5.0%, respectively.
Conclusions: The risk for endothelial damage in CXL by RF/UVA treatment does not increase by shortened impregnation because the 30% increase in light intensity is accompanied by a 3.4-fold decrease of the RF concentration in the posterior stroma. This is substantiated by similar endothelial cell toxicity seen in vitro, which in fact appears to favor 10-minute impregnation.
Translational Relevance: This study offers compelling arguments for (safely) shortening RF impregnation duration, reducing patients' burden and costly operation room time.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 4 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Translational Vision Science & Technology |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - May 2020 |
Keywords
- riboflavin
- endothelial safety
- corneal collagen cross-linking
- keratoconus
- 2-PHOTON FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY
- ULTRAVIOLET-A LIGHT
- PROGRESSIVE KERATOCONUS
- CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY
- RIBOFLAVIN/ULTRAVIOLET
- CYTOTOXICITY
- DEXTRAN
- SAFETY
- STROMA
- DAMAGE