We studied the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 generated by cultured rabbit corneal epithelium cells that had been stimulated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), to investigate the possible regulative mechanisms of MMP-2/9 and their potential effect on corneal inflammatory diseases. The rabbit corneal epithelium cells were cultured in vitro and incubated with different...

The corneal epithelium plays important roles in the maintenance of corneal transparency for good vision, and acts as a protective barrier against foreign insults. Structural and functional changes with aging in the corneal epithelium have been documented. Here we found that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is highly expressed in the elderly donor corneal epithelium, as are senescence-associ...

INTRODUCTION The incidence of dry eye disease, which mainly affects the corneal epithelium, is rising. The main treatment is still the use of artificial tears capable of improving the humidification and lubrication of the corneal epithelium, and avoiding its progressive functional failure. HP-Guar is a new compound used for this purpose. METHODS We performed a prospective, masked and paired s...

photorefractive keratectomy is a preprogrammed surface corneal refractive ablation which is aimed to reduce or eliminate myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism through the removal of the corneal surface epithelium and basement membrane and the application of excimer laser photoablation to bowman membrane and anterior stroma. the epithelium then begins to cover the wound, in direct contact with the an...

PURPOSE Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I) is an inherited metabolic disorder resulting from deficiency of α-L-iduronidase and lysosomal accumulation of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in multiple tissues. Accumulation of GAG in corneal stromal cells causes corneal opacity and reduced vision. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of ocular GAG accumulation and investigate the effectivenes...

BACKGROUND Fleischer's ring is considered to be a characteristic of keratoconus, but we have seen a ring similar to Fleischer's ring in patients with secondary keratoconus, in which the cornea becomes thinner secondarily for undetermined reasons. CASES We report 6 cases of secondary keratoconus with a corneal epithelial ring similar to the Fleischer's ring pattern. OBSERVATIONS In these 6 c...

In 1974, Elizabeth Dexter Hay and Stephen Meier in the US conducted an experiment that demonstrated that the extracellular matrix, the mesh-like network of proteins and carbohydrates found outside of cells in the body, interacted with cells and affected their behaviors. In the experiment, Hay and Meier removed the outermost layer of cells that line the front of the eye, called corneal epitheliu...

PAX6 is the key transcription factor involved in eye development in humans, but the differential functions of the two PAX6 isoforms, isoform-a and isoform-b, are largely unknown. To reveal their function in the corneal epithelium, PAX6 isoforms, along with reprogramming factors, were transduced into human non-ocular epithelial cells. Herein, we show that the two PAX6 isoforms differentially and...