Journal
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
Volume 50, Issue 10, Pages 4605-4610Publisher
ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC
DOI: 10.1167/iovs.09-3407
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Ask authors/readers for more resources
PURPOSE. Hypoxia impairs the barrier function of the corneal epithelium. This function depends on tight junctions, of which zonula occludens (ZO)-1 is a major component. The authors have investigated the effects of hypoxia on ZO-1 localization and expression in the rabbit corneal epithelium in vivo. METHODS. A polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or rigid gas-permeable (RGP) lens was applied to one eye each of albino rabbits for 24 hours. The structure of the corneal epithelium was examined by in vivo confocal microscopy, and epithelial barrier function was evaluated by measurement of central corneal thickness. The distribution and expression of ZO-1 in the corneal epithelium were examined by immunofluorescence analysis and by immunoblot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses, respectively. RESULTS. Application of a PMMA lens, but not that of an RGP lens, resulted in a reduction in cell size at the surface of the corneal epithelium, compared with that in control eyes, and an increase in central corneal thickness. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed a continuous pattern of ZO-1 immunoreactivity around the perimeter of superficial corneal epithelial cells in control eyes or in eyes treated with an RGP lens. In contrast, the pattern of ZO-1 staining was discontinuous and patchy in eyes treated with a PMMA lens. Amounts of ZO-1 mRNA and protein in the corneal epithelium were reduced by application of a PMMA lens but not by that of an RGP lens. CONCLUSIONS. Hypoxia at the ocular surface induced the disruption of tight junctions between superficial cells in the rabbit corneal epithelium in vivo. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009; 50: 4605-4610) DOI:10.1167/iovs.09-3407
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available