Treatment of experimental Pseudomonas corneal ulcers with enoxacin, a quinolone antibiotic

A. Sugar, M. A. Cohen, P. A. Bien, T. J. Griffin, C. L. Heifetz and S. Mehta

Enoxacin is a broad-spectrum quinolone-derivative antibiotic. In a rabbit model of keratitis caused by a Pseudomonas species, enoxacin (3 mg/mL) was as effective as gentamicin sulfate (3 mg/mL) and enoxacin (10 mg/mL) in reducing viable bacterial counts in corneas after 24 hours of hourly therapy with eye drops. Bacterial counts were reduced by about 5000-fold by enoxacin treatment when compared with placebo-treated controls. Penetration studies of topical enoxacin (3 mg/mL) showed that concentrations in cornea and aqueous humor reached levels above reported minimal inhibitory concentrations when an epithelial defect was present. Further investigation of enoxacin for treatment of ocular disease is warranted.