Cytotoxicity of cleaning agents for ocular prostheses.

Background: Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is the most used material for the manufacturing of eye prostheses.

Objectives: To investigate the cytotoxicity of different cleaning agents for ocular prostheses on human conjunctival cells.

Material and methods: Six groups of specimens were created (saline, soap, 4% chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide, 1% triclosan, and citronella oil). Three specimens were made for each disinfectant at each disinfection period (1, 7, 15, 30, 60, and 90 days), totaling 108 specimens. Thus, the specimens were disinfected, with different disinfectants, for different periods of time. After each disinfection process, the specimens were washed with sterile distilled water. A human conjunctival cell line was grown on the acrylic resin specimens and then cytotoxicity tests (MTT and Neutral Red (NR)) were performed. A negative control (untreated cell cultures) and positive control (Tween 20) were created. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni test were performed (p < 0.05).

Results: For the MTT and NR tests, when there was a significant difference between the disinfectant and negative control, the disinfectant generated a significant reduction in cell proliferation most of the time.

Conclusions: All reductions in cell proliferation caused by the disinfectants were clinically acceptable. All disinfectants tested in this study were found to be non-cytotoxic to human conjunctival cells.