Expression of a-Smooth Muscle (a-SM) Actin During Corneal Stromal Wound Healing

Methods. After full-thickness, central corneal injury in rabbit eyes, the anterior width of the wound (wound gape) was measured in the same animals using in vivo confocal microscopy. In addition, animals were sacrificed at various times after injury for the determination of aSM actin expression by immunofluorescent microscopy using a mouse monoclonal antibody specific for human a-actin. Antibody specificity was confirmed by Western blot analysis of normal and wound fibroblasts. Expression of a-SM actin also was related spatially to f-actin and the wound margin by co-localization with phalloidin and DTAF (5( [4,6-dichlorotriazin2yl]amino)fluorescein), a fluorescent marker bound to the wound margin.