[Homoharringtonine on traumatic vitreous proliferation]

Rabbit models of intraocular proliferation were made by intravitreal injection of cultured homologous conjunctival fibroblasts. 0.025 mg of homoharringtonine, a Chinese herbal drug that potently inhibited rabbit fibroblast proliferation in vitro, or distilled water, as control, was injected into the vitreous immediately after the cell transplantation. On days 1, 3, 7, 10 after the injection, the homoharringtonine eyes were given same doses of the agent subconjunctivally. After 21 days, these eyes developed significantly less intravitreal proliferation than the control eyes, and no retinal detachment occurred while 54.5% of the control eyes did. Light microscopy and TEM revealed no toxic effect on tissues in the medicated eyes. Hence, homoharringtonine may be of clinical value in the treatment of post-traumatic proliferation in the eye.