Investigating the Influence of Temperature and Supplementation Timing on Antifungal Efficacy in Storage Medium for Corneal Transplantation.

Abstract

Although antifungal supplementation reduces the fungal load in the corneal storage medium, consensus is lacking on the influence of dosing and temperature. The study aims to evaluate the impact of eye bank warming protocol and timing of antifungal supplements on efficacy in Optisol-GS and tissue. Corneoscleral rims contaminated with Candida albicans (C.albicans) were incubated in Optisol-GS, either without antifungal agents or with the addition of amphotericinB or voriconazole at various concentrations (2 ×, 5 ×, 10 ×, and 20 × MIC), at different time points, and under various preservation temperatures (2-8°C versus 2h-room temperature exposure). Antifungal efficacy was evaluated by counting viable yeast colonies cultured from Optisol-GS samples. Tissue sterility was determined through direct tissue culture and histological examination of the contaminated rims after a 14-day incubation period. Room temperature exposure did not increase colony growth at the same multiple MIC of antifungal agents. Although antifungal addition reduced C.albicans growth in a concentration-dependent manner, yeast growth was still observed in all Optisol-GS samples with a single supplementation after a 14-day incubation. Only groups with additional antifungal supplementation on either day2 or day6 showed a 99% or greater reduction of C.albicans growth in Optisol-GS samples and yielded negative results in direct tissue culture. The eye bank warming protocol did not compromise antifungal efficacy. To sustain the required concentration and effectively reduce C.albicans growth in Optisol-GS and contaminated tissue, additional antifungal supplementation on either day2 or day6 was necessary during a 2-week preservation period.