Effect of staurosporine on outflow facility in monkeys

PURPOSE. To determine the effect of the serine-threonine kinase inhibitor s taurosporine on outflow facility in Living monkeys. METHODS. Total outflow facility was determined by two-level constant pressu re perfusion of the anterior chamber bilaterally before and after intracame ral infusion of staurosporine or vehicle in opposite eyes. RESULTS. Intracameral staurosporine dose-dependently doubled outflow facili ty, with 0.1 mu M, 1 mu M, and 10 mu M being subthreshold, effective, and m aximal doses, respectively. At 50 mu M, intracameral staurosporine was less effective than 10 mu M on facility and induced corneal toxicity. CONCLUSIONS. The broad-spectrum protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine incr eases outflow facility in living monkeys, perhaps by affecting the trabecul ar meshwork cytoskeleton.