PURPOSE To determine the relative expression of cell cycle-association proteins in human corneal and limbal epithelium and corneal endothelium in situ, to correlate staining patterns of cell cycle-associated proteins with known proliferative status of corneal and limbal epithelial cells, and to determine the relative proliferative status of corneal endothelial cells in situ by comparing their s...

PURPOSE Gram-negative bacterial infections of the eye can lead to corneal bacterial keratitis, visual impairment, and blindness. Many of these pathologic changes may be mediated by bacterially derived products such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In this investigation, it has been established for the first time that human corneal cells are capable of expressing the functional LPS receptor complex ...

PURPOSE To investigate the protective effect of clusterin on oxidative stress-induced cell death of human corneal endothelial cells. METHODS Human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) were cultured according to previously published methods. With treatment of various concentrations (0-50 mM) of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) or clusterin, reactive oxygen species (ROS) producrion was measured usi...

purpose: to investigate central corneal thickness (cct), endothelial cell characteristics and intraocular pressure (iop) in congenital cataract extracted eyes and to compare the results with eyes of normal age and sex matched controls. methods: cct and iop measurements and specular microscopy were performed in 31 eyes of 17 cases of extracted congenital cataracts and 40 eyes of 20 age and sex m...

PURPOSE Ripasudil (Glanatec), a selective Rho-associated coiled coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, was approved in Japan in September 2014 for the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ripasudil eye drops on corneal endothelial morphology, as ROCK signaling is known to modulate the actin cytoskeleton. METHODS Mo...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and PDGF receptors in the human cornea and to study the effects of the PDGF isotypes on proliferation and chemotaxis of human corneal fibroblasts. The effects of interleukin (IL)-1alpha, bone morphogenic protein (BMP)2, and BMP4 on chemotaxis of human corneal fibroblasts were also studied. MET...

The antigenic composition of the human corneal endothelium, a cellular layer essential for maintaining corneal function, has not been well characterized. A novel corneal endothelial antigen was identified by generating a monoclonal antibody (MAb) against normal human corneal endothelial cells. This MAb, designated 2B4.14.1, reacted strongly by immunoperoxidase staining with the endothelium of c...

Proper corneal hydration is maintained by a Na, K-ATPase pump located in the lateral membranes of the endothelial cells. In dysfunctional corneas this pumping action appears to break down as the corneas become edematous. In order to provide quantitative and qualitative data on the Na, K-ATPase pump site density on dysfunctional and functional human corneal endothelial cells, the present study h...

PURPOSE To determine whether lymphatic vessels exist in vascularized human corneas, by using immunohistochemistry with novel markers for lymphatic endothelium. METHODS Human corneas exhibiting neovascularization secondary to keratitis, transplant rejection, trauma, and limbal insufficiency (n = 21) were assessed for lymphatic vessel content by conventional transmission electron microscopy and...