Cefmenoxime in corneal organ culture

Before introducing new antibiotics for corneal organ culture solutions, information about the endothelial cell toxicity is necessary. Therefore, we preserved 132 pig corneas in minimum essential medium with 2% fetal calf serum and 5% dextran T 500 and added 50, 100, 250 and 500 micrograms/cm3 cefmenoxime. Slight endothelial cell damage occurred at a concentration of 100 micrograms/cm3. Damage to endothelial cells was demonstrated by the inhibited uptake of fluorescein diacetate and by other staining procedures. 30% of the substance remained stable during a 10-day culture period as demonstrated by an HPLC method.