Effect of staurosporine on outflow facility in monkeys

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the effect of the serine-threonine kinase inhibitor staurosporine on outflow facility in living monkeys.

Methods: Total outflow facility was determined by two-level constant pressure perfusion of the anterior chamber bilaterally before and after intracameral infusion of staurosporine or vehicle in opposite eyes.

Results: Intracameral staurosporine dose-dependently doubled outflow facility, with 0.1 microM, 1 microM, and 10 microM being subthreshold, effective, and maximal doses, respectively. At 50 microM, intracameral staurosporine was less effective than 10 microM on facility and induced corneal toxicity.

Conclusions: The broad-spectrum protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine increases outflow facility in living monkeys, perhaps by affecting the trabecular meshwork cytoskeleton.