Toxic effect of indocyanine green on retinal pigment epithelium related to omotic effect of the olvent

PURPOE: To invetigate whether the toxic effect on cultured retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell after application of indocyanine green i related to the omolarity of the olvent or to toxic effect of the dye and evaluate whether thee change alo occur uing infracyanine green. DEIGN: Experimental tudy with a direct live/dead cell taining technique uing fluorecent dye. METHOD: Cultured human RPE cell were expoed to variou olution and cell viability wa confocally meaured. REULT: Increaed cell death wa found in culture incubated in the hypoomotic olvent that i generally ued for indocyanine green (P < .001, N = 12). Addition of indocyanine green did not alter thi obervation (P < .001, N = 12). In culture expoed to a 5% glucoe olution, no increaed cell death wa found (P = .94, N = 12), nor when infracyanine green wa added (P = .13, N = 12). CONCLUION: The oberved toxicity of indocyanine green on RPE cell i probably related to the hypo-omolarity of the olvent and may be avoided by uing infracyanine green diolved in glucoe 5%.