Effects of ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin on adult human cartilage in vitro.

Chondrocyte toxicity and necrosis were seen with electron microscopy after incubation of human adult cartilage biopsy specimens in ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin. In vitro exposure of chondrocytes to fluoroquinolones did not affect apoptosis as determined by flow cytometry. While the immediate clinical significance of this finding remains unclear, the possibility of long-term cartilage damage after fluoroquinolone treatment cannot be excluded.