Objective lt;brgt;To investigate the feasibility of labeling iris pigment epithelial（IPE）cells of rabbits with 5（and 6）carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester（CFSE）. lt;brgt; lt;brgt;Methods lt;brgt;Enzyme-assisted microdissection was used to isolate the cultured rabbitprime;s IPE cells.The third or forth subcultured IPE cells were incubated with 2.5，5，10，20，and 40 mu;mol/L of CFSE for 1，5，and10min respectively.The fluorescence intensity was detected by flow cytometry，and the leakage of CFSE and its dyeing were observed by fluorescence antibody labeling. lt;brgt;Results lt;brgt;Incubation with 20 mu;mol/L CFSE under 37℃for1minute was the most optimal condition for IPE cells labeling.The coloration of IPE cells stained by CFSE lasted 4 weeks.There was no leakage of dye from labeled rabbit IPE cells to non-labeled human IPE cells in mixed culture process. lt;brgt; lt;brgt;Conclusion lt;brgt;With the advantages of high rate of dyeing，long time of tracing，safety and convenience，CFSE can be used as a new method to label the rabbitprime;s IPE cells. lt;brgt; lt;brgt;(Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2006, 22: 261-264)