The kinetics of an intravitreally administered phosphorothioate oligonucleotide, ISIS 2922, were studied in cynomolgus monkeys. Vitreal and retinal concentrations were measured after administration of 11, 57, or 115 microg/eye. ISIS 2922 concentrations in vitreous and retina were compared, after single, weekly, or biweekly doses, for potential accumulation. ISIS 2922 levels were quantified using solid-phase extraction followed by capillary gel electrophoresis. Concentrations of ISIS 2922 in the vitreous were proportional to the dose and were nearly linear with respect to the dose. The ISIS 2922 concentrations 3 days after dosing ranged from 80 nM to approximately 1.5 microM. By 14 days after intravitreal injection, the concentrations were below the limit of quantitation (<10 nM) for all dose groups. There was no accumulation in the vitreous after multiple weekly or biweekly doses. The concentrations of ISIS 2922 in the retina 2 days after a single intravitreal injection ranged from 50 nM to 1.1 microM. The uptake and disposition of ISIS 2922 in the retina appeared to have been saturated between the 57- and 115-microg doses; the average concentrations were 0.71 +/- 0.24 microM (N = 4) and 0.88 +/- 0.27 microM (N = 3) for the two doses, respectively. Electrophoretic profiles of extracts revealed multiple chain-shortened oligonucleotides in the vitreous and retina, suggesting extensive metabolism in both compartments. Analyses from the multiple-dose study suggested that accumulation was dependent on the total administered dose, with accumulation occurring after biweekly dosing in the 115-microg dose group and only after weekly dosing in the 57-microg dose group.