PURPOSE To develop a dry eye model of mouse induced by topical administration of benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and investigate the possible mechanisms. METHODS BAC at concentration of 0.2% was applied to the mouse ocular surface for 7 days. Phenol red thread tear test, tear break-up time (BUT) test, corneal inflammatory index scoring, fluorescein and rose bengal test were performed to evaluate ...

PURPOSE To use explants of cornea and iris and ciliary body (I/CB) of experimentally manipulated eyes to determine whether loss of the capacity to suppress T-cell activation in vitro correlates with other consequences of manipulation, i.e., the migration of Langerhans cells into the central corneal epithelium, the leakiness of stromal neovessels, and the presence of axons in the cornea. METHO...

Multiple physiological fluid movements are involved in vision. Here we define the cellular and subcellular sites of aquaporin (AQP) water transport proteins in human and rat eyes by immunoblotting, high-resolution immunocytochemistry, and immunoelectron microscopy. AQP3 is abundant in bulbar conjunctival epithelium and glands but is only weakly present in corneal epithelium. In contrast, AQP5 i...

The bovine corneal opacity and permeability (BCOP) assay is an alternative method to the in vivo Draize eye test in rabbits for evaluating eye irritation in vitro. Here, we compared the numerical results of the BCOP assay with the corresponding histopathology for three different corneas for each test substance, including commercially available shampoos, make-up removers and cleansing foams that...

Amniotic membrane-based tissue-engineered corneal epithelium has been widely used in the reconstruction of the ocular surface. However, it often degrades too early to ensure the success of the transplanted corneal epithelium when treating patients with severe ocular surface disorders. In the present study, we investigated the preparation of xenogeneic acellular conjunctiva matrix (aCM) and eval...

PURPOSE S-1 is an oral antineoplastic agent that contains a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil and has adverse effects on skin, alimentary tract mucosa, and the ocular surface. We investigated the effects of S-1 on the corneal epithelium by in vivo confocal microscopy and histopathologic analysis. METHODS Twelve patients with eye problems related to S-1 treatment participated in the study. Twenty eyes...

PURPOSE We evaluated the expression and activation of Notch pathway genes in the adult human and murine corneal epithelium during proliferation. METHODS The expression of Notch pathway genes in the limbal and central human corneal epithelium was compared by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Their expression pattern was examined by immunofluorescence and in situ hybridi...

PURPOSE To determine the effects of experimental dryness on production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their physiological inhibitors (TIMPs) by the corneal epithelium. METHODS Experimental dry eye (EDE) was created in two strains of mice: BALB/c and C57BL/6. Real-time PCR was performed with MMP and TIMP probes, and the results were analyzed by the comparative C(T) method, selecting t...

Corneal wound repair involves the rapid coverage of a denuded area by residual epithelial cells. During wound healing, there are different cell behaviors in different regions of the epithelium: cell proliferation in the peripheral epithelium and cell migration in the central epithelium. We found that Wnt-7a was rapidly induced in the wounded cornea, promoted the proliferation of corneal epithel...

PURPOSE To investigate the changes in the epithelium and flap after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), when measured with optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS Twenty-eight eyes of 14 patients (age: 39.9 +/- 8.6 years) underwent LASIK. The central thickness of corneal epithelium and flap were measured with a real-time 1310 nm OCT 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after surgery. A custom sof...