COMPLEMENT ACTIVATION BY NYLON-LOOPED AND POLYPROPYLENE-LOOPED PROSTHETIC INTRAOCULAR LENSES

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 22  (6) , 727-733
Abstract
Uncomplicated placement of an intraocular lens at the time of routine cataract extraction is associated with a greater inflammatory response than simple lens extraction. Certain components of prosthetic intraocular lenses are capable of activating the complement system in human serum in such a fashion as to generate peptides capable of mediating acute inflammatory reactions. Normal human serum was incubated with intraocular lenses in vitro and then examined for cleavage products of C (complement)3 and C5 and for C5-derived chemotactic activity for human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Polymethylmethacrylate lenses with nylon and polypropylene loops were capable of causing cleavage of C3 (detected by crossed immunoelectrophoresis) and C5 (detected by single-dimension radioimmunoelectrophoresis) as well as generation of C5-derived chemotactic activity in human serum. Serum incubated with polymethylmethacrylate lenses without loop supports exhibited no such activity. Apparently certain nylon- and polypropylene-looped intraocular lenses are not inert biologically and may elicit acute inflammatory reactions.