Collagen shields as a drug delivery system for the fourth-generation fluoroquinolones

Purpose: To evaluate the penetration of commercially available gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin into the anterior chamber of a rabbit eye using collagen shields presoaked in the antibiotics as a drug delivery system. Methods: Collagen shields, presoaked for 10 min in commercially available solutions of gatifloxacin (diluted intravenous Tequin (R)) or moxifloxacin (Vigamox (TM)) with the same concentration, were placed on the surface of each of the corneas of 12 rabbits for a total of 24 eyes (12 in each group). Aqueous humor samples were taken 3 and 6 h later. Results: The concentrations of both antibiotics were high after 3 h (3.1 +/- 1.3 mu g/ml for moxifloxacin and 2.3 +/- 0.8 mu g/ml for gatifloxacin, p = 0.22). The concentration of gatifloxacin after 6 h was statistically significantly higher than for moxifloxacin (0.76 +/- 0.33 mu g/ml vs. 0.29 + 0.14 mu g/ml, respectively, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Our results suggest that collagen shields can be effective as a drug delivery system for the fourth-generation fluoroquinolones with a longer effect for gatifloxacin. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.