The Effect Of Eye Drop Excipients Against Acanthamoeba Polyphaga By Alamarblue (Tm) Assay

Objective: Based on the reduction of alamarBlueTM, we have therefore screened a variety of such eye drop excipients used for bacterial keratitis in order to identify any candidates that show inhibitory activity against Acanthamoeba polyphaga, one of the protozoal species responsible for the Acanthamoeba Keratitis.Subjects and Methods: Acanthamoeba keratitis is a serious eye infection which is notoriously difficult to treat successfully. The currently employed drugs have significant disadvantages in that they have to be administered at hourly intervals for extended periods of time. The AlamarBlueTM assay has been optimized for determination of selected eye drop excipients efficacy against potentially pathogenic strain, Acanthamoeba polyphaga. Results: The most effective agents were found to be fusidic acid and framycetin sulfate, with a combination of the two providing a reduction in A. polyphaga metabolic activity of around 75%.Conclusion: These eye drop excipients can serve as new sources for the discovery and development of much needed new antimicrobials for both Acanthamoeba keratitis and bacterial keratitis.