Acanthamoeba is one of the organisms that cause corneal infection. In this study, attention was focused on potassium isostearate (iso-C18K, a branched chain fatty acid salt) for use in a multipurpose solution (MPS) against Acanthamoeba. An anti-amoebic test against Acanthamoeba castellanii ATCC 30010 (trophozoites type) was conducted. As a result, a growth reduction effect of 4 log units (99.99% suppression) was observed after incubation with 150 mM (5.0 w/v%) iso-C18K for 10 minutes. Furthermore, after the amoeba suspension was mixed with iso-C18K, disruption of cell membranes were observed, and the minimum amoebacidal concentration (MAC) at that time was 9.6 mM (0.31 w/v%). To evaluate the effectiveness as an MPS, assessment by verification tests was conducted using contact lenses. Reducing the concentration of iso-C18K caused a decrease in the number of viable cells, which was confirmed at a MAC of 1.2 mM (0.039 w/v%).
Keywords: Acanthamoeba castellanii; Anti-amoeba activity; Branched chain fatty acids; Contact lens; Multipurpose solutions.