Showing papers in "Current Eye Research in 2021"
TL;DR: In this paper, the combination of MGX with IPL has a better efficacy to treat meibomian gland dysfunction than IPL alone, and the effect can last at least 3 months.
Abstract: Objective: To determine whether the combination of meibomian gland expression (MGX) with intense-pulsed light (IPL) has a better efficacy to treat meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) than IPL alone.Methods: One hundred patients with MGD were randomly divided into three groups: MGX, IPL, and IPL+ MGX. Clinical parameters included the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive keratograph tear breakup time (NIBUT), redness, meibomian gland dropout, tear breakup time (TBUT), corneal fluorescent staining (CFS), eyelid margin score, meibomian gland secretion function, and Schirmer I tests were collected before treatment and at 1 and 3 months after treatment. Compare the indexes of each group before and after treatment and also compare the differences of each group on follow-up.Results: Compared to the baseline, OSDI, TBUT, and meibomian gland secretion function in IPL group improved throughout the follow-up period (all P < .05) and part of the meibomian gland secretion function increased continuously. OSDI, TBUT, lower eyelid margin scores, and meibomian gland secretion function in IPL + MGX group improved at the both follow-up visits (all P < .05), and continued improvement in meibomian gland secretion function can be observed. Lower meibomian gland dropout and CFS reduced at 1 month and 3 months respectively in IPL ± MGX group (P = .001,P = .001).Compared to IPL group, only CFS has reduction in IPL + MGX group at 1-month (P < .001), CFS, upper and lower MGYCS were improved at the 3 months (P = .037,P = .014, P = .049).Conclusions: MGX may have synergistic effect when combined with IPL therapy, and the effect can last at least 3 months.
23 citations
TL;DR: The refractive results and visual outcomes at all distances of EDOF and trifocal IOLs were highly satisfactory, however, the EDOF design in the Lucidis IOL achieves lower rates of glare in the early period after refractive lens exchange.
Abstract: To evaluate and compare the visual performance and quality of life (QOL) associated with refractive/extended depth of focus (EDOF) intraocular lenses (IOLs) and diffractive trifocal IOLs in refract...
19 citations
TL;DR: Magnetic resonance imaging of the eye and orbit (MReye) is a cross-domain research field, combining bio-physics, bioengineering, physiology, data sciences and ophthalmology as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Magnetic resonance imaging of the eye and orbit (MReye) is a cross-domain research field, combining (bio)physics, (bio)engineering, physiology, data sciences and ophthalmology A growing number of reports document technical innovations of MReye and promote their application in preclinical research and clinical science Realizing the progress and promises, this review outlines current trends in MReye Examples of MReye strategies and their clinical relevance are demonstrated Frontier applications in ocular oncology, refractive surgery, ocular muscle disorders and orbital inflammation are presented and their implications for explorations into ophthalmic diseases are provided Substantial progress in anatomically detailed, high-spatial resolution MReye of the eye, orbit and optic nerve is demonstrated Recent developments in MReye of ocular tumors are explored, and its value for personalized eye models derived from machine learning in the treatment planning of uveal melanoma and evaluation of retinoblastoma is highlighted The potential of MReye for monitoring drug distribution and for improving treatment management and the assessment of individual responses is discussed To open a window into the eye and into (patho)physiological processes that in the past have been largely inaccessible, advances in MReye at ultrahigh magnetic field strengths are discussed A concluding section ventures a glance beyond the horizon and explores future directions of MReye across multiple scales, including in vivo electrolyte mapping of sodium and other nuclei This review underscores the need for the (bio)medical imaging and ophthalmic communities to expand efforts to find solutions to the remaining unsolved problems and technical obstacles of MReye, with the objective to transfer methodological advancements driven by MR physics into genuine clinical value
18 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the frequency of OCTA follow-up may improve detection of reduced retinal VD, thus avoiding further retinal damage in hypertensive patients; however, the clinical implications of this finding deserve further study.
Abstract: To determine possible correlations between different levels of blood pressure (BP) control and retinal microvascular changes in the macula and optic nerve head, using coherence tomography angiograp...
17 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an older female with CoV Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and concomitant acquired monocular blindness was observed and the following indicators were monitored during the course of the disease: ocular examinations, flash visual evoked potential examination, a blood test for COVID19 IgM antibodies, as well as nasopharyngeal swab and tear sample tests for CO VID-19 nucleic acid.
Abstract: Objective We documented an older female with Coronavirus(CoV) Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and concomitant acquired monocular blindness. We examined this phenomenon in order to understand COVID-19 better. Methods We observed an older female with COVID-19 and concomitant acquired monocular blindness. The following indicators were monitored during the course of the disease: ocular examinations, flash visual evoked potential examination, a blood test for COVID-19 IgM antibodies, as well as nasopharyngeal swab and tear sample tests for COVID-19 nucleic acid. Results The patient's visual acuity for the left eye was NLP and the intraocular pressure was 51 mmHg. Keratic precipitates similar to mutton-fat were spread over the corneal endothelium of the left eye. The funduscopic examination of the patient's left eye revealed severe retinal arterial ischemia, and the color of the retina was off-white. Compared to the right eye, the flash visual evoked potential examination revealed a moderate decrease in P2 wave amplitude for the left eye. A blood test was positive for COVID-19 IgM antibodies, and a nasopharyngeal swab test taken for COVID-19 nucleic acid was positive on May 4, 2020. A sample of the patient's tears was taken, and the nucleic acid test for COVID-19 was still positive two weeks later. Conclusions Our study was the first to find that acute viral retinitis could occur in patients with COVID-19 and severe blindness could be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, physicians should consider the possibility of coronavirus infection in patients with an abnormal fundus or suddenly vision loss.
16 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate glutathione might be an effective addition to vitamin C in intraocular implants, including potential vitreous substitutes, and warrants additional studies on the effectiveness of the vitamin C – glutathion combination in preventing oxidative stress post-vitrectomy.
Abstract: Tissues in the eye are particularly susceptible to oxidative damage due to light exposure. While vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has been noted as a vital antioxidant in the vitreous humor, its physiolog...
16 citations
TL;DR: Rehabilitation with acoustic biofeedback in patients with central scotoma looks like a useful technique for improving fixation stability, reading performance and quality of life.
Abstract: To evaluate the efficacy of visual rehabilitation with microperimeter biofeedback in patients with central scotoma.35 consecutive patients with central scotoma (17 age-related macular degeneration ...
15 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a deep learning ensemble method was developed and evaluated to automatically grade the stages of glaucoma depending on its severity, achieving an accuracy of 88.1% and an average area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.975.
Abstract: Purpose: This study developed and evaluated a deep learning ensemble method to automatically grade the stages of glaucoma depending on its severity.Materials and Methods: After cross-validation of three glaucoma specialists, the final dataset comprised of 3,460 fundus photographs taken from 2,204 patients were divided into three classes: unaffected controls, early-stage glaucoma, and late-stage glaucoma. The mean deviation value of standard automated perimetry was used to classify the glaucoma cases. We modeled 56 convolutional neural networks (CNN) with different characteristics and developed an ensemble system to derive the best performance by combining several modeling results.Results: The proposed method with an accuracy of 88.1% and an average area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.975 demonstrates significantly better performance to classify glaucoma stages compared to the best single CNN model that has an accuracy of 85.2% and an average area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.950. The false negative is the least adjacent misprediction, and it is less in the proposed method than in the best single CNN model.Conclusions: The method of averaging multiple CNN models can better classify glaucoma stages by using fundus photographs than a single CNN model. The ensemble method would be useful as a clinical decision support system in glaucoma screening for primary care because it provides high and stable performance with a relatively small amount of data.
14 citations
TL;DR: The gadgets in this category include smartphones, smartwatches, and others as mentioned in this paper, and they have the potential to become invaluable health care devices in future, in today's life.
Abstract: Purpose: In today’s life, many electronic gadgets have the potential to become invaluable health care devices in future. The gadgets in this category include smartphones, smartwatches, and others. ...
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the main goal was to develop and evaluate nanoemulsions (NEs) containing acyclovir (ACV) for ophthalmic drug delivery.
Abstract: Objective: The main goal of the present work was to develop and evaluate nanoemulsions (NEs) containing acyclovir (ACV) for ophthalmic drug delivery.Method: Firstly, component screening was perform...
14 citations
TL;DR: Efforts should continue to further elucidate the interplay between microbiome and key players, such as age, comorbidities, and contact lens usage, in order to have better control of the sight-threatening complications.
Abstract: The literature on ocular microbiome has grown tremendously over the past decade, and our knowledge of the different aspects and roles in homeostasis and protection is continuously growing The deve
TL;DR: According to the findings, reduced CVI may indicate subclinical dysfunction in choroid of patients with type 1 DM and there was a negative correlation between disease duration and CVI.
Abstract: Purpose: This study aims to assess choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and choroidal thickness (CT) in patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and compare them with healthy control subj...
TL;DR: Exosomes isolated from human aqueous humour contained abundant miRNAs and found that a highly expressed miRNA, miR-551b, could regulate the functions of HLEC by targeting CRYAA, and reduced the viability and increased the apoptosis of HleCs by downregulatingCRYAA expression.
Abstract: The mechanism of diabetes and cataracts is complicated. Considering our increasing acknowledge of exosomes, exosomal miRNAs isolated from aqueous humour (AH) may play an important role in the mecha...
TL;DR: The findings strongly suggest the involvement of the ATM kinase in the radiosensitivity/radiosusceptibility phenotype observed in Rb cases.
Abstract: Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a rare form of pediatric cancer that develops from retina cells. Bilateral and some unilateral forms of Rb are associated with heterozygous germline mutations of the (retinob...
TL;DR: Re-bubbling increased the risk for an endothelial cell loss, but did not influence the postoperative visual acuity and the rate of graft failure.
Abstract: Purpose/Aim of the study: Graft detachment after DMEK can be treated easily with an additional air injection – re-bubbling. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a re-bubbling on th...
TL;DR: The results show that the binding of α-crystallin makes the membrane more immobilized near the head group region of the phospholipids, and this plays a significant role in modulating the integrity of the membranes.
Abstract: The amount of membrane-bound α-crystallin increases significantly with age and cataract formation, accompanied by a corresponding decline in the level of α-crystallin in the lens cytoplasm The pur
TL;DR: The mechanical properties of the human Vitreous were found to be most similar to the vitreous of pigs and rabbits, and the storage and loss moduli of the hydrogel vitreus substitutes developed were foundto be orders of magnitude higher in comparison to the native human vitreOUS.
Abstract: Research on the vitreous humor and development of hydrogel vitreous substitutes have gained a rapid increase in interest within the past two decades. However, the properties of the vitreous humor and vitreous substitutes have yet to be consolidated. In this paper, the mechanical properties of the vitreous humor and hydrogel vitreous substitutes were systematically reviewed. The number of publications on the vitreous humor and vitreous substitutes over the years, as well as their respective testing conditions and testing techniques were analyzed. The mechanical properties of the human vitreous were found to be most similar to the vitreous of pigs and rabbits. The storage and loss moduli of the hydrogel vitreous substitutes developed were found to be orders of magnitude higher in comparison to the native human vitreous. However, the reported modulus for human vitreous, which was most commonly tested in vitro, has been hypothesized to be different in vivo. Future studies should focus on testing the mechanical properties of the vitreous in situ or in vivo. In addition to its mechanical properties, the vitreous humor has other biotransport mechanisms and biochemical functions that establish a redox balance and maintain an oxygen gradient inside the vitreous chamber to protect intraocular tissues from oxidative damage. Biomimetic hydrogel vitreous substitutes have the potential to provide ophthalmologists with additional avenues for treating and controlling vitreoretinal diseases while preventing complications after vitrectomy. Due to the proximity and interconnectedness of the vitreous humor to other ocular tissues, particularly the lens and the retina, more interest has been placed on understanding the properties of the vitreous humor in recent years. A better understanding of the properties of the vitreous humor will aid in improving the design of biomimetic vitreous substitutes and enhancing intravitreal biotransport.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated whether cessation of MiSight contact lens wear for myopia control produces rebound effect, and recruited participants who had just complemented their previous myopic wear.
Abstract: Purpose: To investigate whether cessation of MiSight contact lens (CLs) wear for myopia control produces rebound effect. Material and Methods: This study recruited participants who had just complet...
TL;DR: In this paper, the incidence, microbial spectrum, and visual outcomes of endophthalmitis following intravitreal injections have been evaluated over time in a cohort of patients.
Abstract: Aims: To evaluate whether the incidence, microbial spectrum, and visual outcomes of endophthalmitis following intravitreal injections have changed over time. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of ...
TL;DR: A few circRNAs were demonstrated to play an important role in DR by regulating the angiogenesis, proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammatory response of various cells in the retina.
Abstract: Purpose: To summarize the research status on the function and mechanism of circRNAs in regulating the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase.com...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors aimed to develop brimonidine tartrate loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) acid vitamin E-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (BRT-PLGA-TPGS) nanoparticles in...
Abstract: Purposes: The present study aimed to develop brimonidine tartrate loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) acid vitamin E-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (BRT-PLGA-TPGS) nanoparticles in ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the performance of the fluorescence reporter tdTomato following tamoxifen induction in two inducible Cre recombinase-expressing mouse models under control of the NG2 and PDGFRb promotor.
Abstract: PURPOSE/AIM OF THE STUDY Pericytes (PCs), located abluminal of endothelial cells on capillaries, are essential for vascular development and stability. They display a heterogeneous morphology depending on organ localization, differentiation state and function. Consequently, PCs show a diverse gene expression profile, impeding the usage of a unique PC marker and therefore the distinct identification of PCs. Inducible reporter mouse models represent an important tool for investigating the fate of PCs under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. PC-specific expression efficiency of the fluorescence reporter tdTomato following tamoxifen induction was analyzed and compared in two inducible Cre recombinase-expressing mouse models under control of the NG2 and PDGFRb promotor. MATERIAL AND METHODS The NG2-CreERTM-tdTomato and the PDGFRb-P2A-CreERT2-tdTomato mice were treated with tamoxifen at three defining time points of retinal vascular development: postnatal days (P)5, P10/11/12 and P48/49/50/51. TdTomato reporter induction efficiency was determined by analyzing retinal whole mounts utilizing confocal microscopy, using the antibodies Anti-neural/glial antigen 2 (PCs), Anti-Collagen IV (basement membrane) and Anti-Glutamine Synthetase (Muller glial cells). RESULTS Tamoxifen induction at the three different time points resulted in PC-specific expression of tdTomato in both reporter models. In the NG2-CreERTM-tdTomato mouse, the induction efficiency ranged from 21.9 to 35.5%. In the PDGFRb-P2A-CreERT2-tdTomato mouse an induction efficiency between 78.9 and 94.1% was achieved. TdTomato expression in the retina was restricted to PCs and vascular smooth muscle cells in the NG2-CreERTM-tdTomato mouse, however, in the PDGFRb-P2A-CreERT2-tdTomato mouse, tdTomato was also expressed in Muller glial cells. CONCLUSION Both reporter mouse models represent promising tools for fate mapping studies of PCs. While the NG2-CreERTM-tdTomato mouse reveals very specific labeling of PCs in the retina, its induction efficiency is lower compared to the PDGFRb-P2A-CreERT2-tdTomato mouse. Although the latter revealed a high percentage of tdTomato-positive PCs in the retina, additional labeling of Muller cells potentially hampers analysis of reporter-positive PCs.
TL;DR: Ophthalmologic involvement in SARS-CoV-infected patients is variegated as mentioned in this paper, and one of the most common pathologies is optic neuritis, which can occur with or without affection of other cranial nerves.
Abstract: Ophthalmologic nvolvement in SARS-CoV-infected patients is variegated. One of the ophthalmologic pathologies is optic neuritis. Optic neuritis in SARS-CoV-infected patients may precede the classical pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and can be unilateral or bilateral. Optic neuritis has been repeatedly reported in COVID-19 patients and may occur with or without affection of other cranial nerves. Since cerebro-spinal fluid parameters can be abnormal in COVID-19 associated optic neuritis, these patients require a spinal tap. Before diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 associated optic neuritis various differentials need to be excluded. Since SARS-CoV-2 causes endothelial damage complicated by thrombus formation and thromboembolism, ophthalmologic vascular complication due to an infection with SARS-CoV-2 such as anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION), central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), and retinal vein occlusion need to be excluded. CRAO may result from arterial hypertension, myocarditis, heart failure, Takotsubo syndrome, atrial fibrillation, or atrial flutter, frequent cardiac complications of COVID-19. Since CRAO can be accompanied by ischemic stroke, patients with SARS-CoV-2 associated optic neuritis need to undergo a cerebral MRI.
TL;DR: It is concluded that an SSOCTA-based activity analysis of the CNV complex is not yet a substitute for retinal thickness or in-depth fluid analysis in patients with nAMD.
Abstract: Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether structural OCT changes, in specific retinal thickness, is associated with the vascular response within the nAMD CNV lesion. In other words, whether SSOCTA derived parameters may prove suitable to assess CNV activity in future.Methods: During the first 3 months patients were prospectively followed with visits at days 7, and 14 after each anti-VEGF treatment up to day 90. At baseline, day 30 and 60 Aflibercept was administered. OCT-derrived retinal thickness (RT) and OCTA-derived CNV lesion parameters (vessel area [VA]), total vessel length [TVL], total number of junctions [TNJ], junction density [JD]) were determined. Parameters were exported from SSOCT/A (PlexElite, Zeiss) images using the semi-automated AngioTool software. Additionally, the superficial and deep vascular plexus fractal dimension of the para- and perifoveal region were identified. Consequently, all OCTA derived parameters were correlated with RT.Results: 16 consecutive patients presenting with treatment-naive, SSOCTA-positive CNV lesions were included. A weak to moderate statistically significant correlation was found between the mean RT of the inner as well as the outer ETDRS ring with the SSOCTA-derived vascular markers vessel area (VA; r2 = -0.38, p < .001; r2 = -0.47, p < .001, respectively), total vessel length, (TVL; r2 = -0.38, p < .001; r2 = -0.48, p < .001, respectively) and total number of junctions (TNJ; r2 = -0.35, p < .001; r2 = -0.44, p < .001, respectively). Junctions density (JD), and all variables based on fractal dimension (FD) did not show statistically significant correlations with retinal thickness measurements.Conclusions: In summary, we could confirm a moderate, however, statistically significant correlation between mean para- and perifoveal retinal thickness and the SSOCTA derived vascular parameters VA, TVL, and TNJ. This leads us to the conclusion that an SSOCTA-based activity analysis of the CNV complex is not yet a substitute for retinal thickness or in-depth fluid analysis in patients with nAMD.
TL;DR: It is revealed that MALAT1 may regulate EMT, proliferation, and migration of LECs as a ceRNA by “sponging” miR-204-5p and targeting Smad4, and serve as a promising therapeutic target in preventing PCO.
Abstract: Purpose: Posterior capsular opacification (PCO), a common complication after cataract surgery, primarily originated from the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), proliferation, and migration of...
TL;DR: Defective trafficking of AQP5 and variable expression of Ly, Lf, S-100 are the notable findings in the Lacrimal glands of chronic SJS patients along with signs of early apoptosis, suggesting that the palpebral lobe of the lacrimal gland is involved in the pathological processes occurring in the conjunctiva of S JS patients.
Abstract: To detect the immunohistochemical changes in the main lacrimal glands of patients suffering from chronic ocular sequelae of Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS).Histological sections of biopsies from the...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the role and potential mechanism of circ_0000527 in Retinoblastoma (RB) malignancy and found that circ-RNAs play crucial roles in regulating the malignant phenotypes of various tumors.
Abstract: Purpose: Retinoblastoma (RB) is an intraocular malignancy that often occurs in childhood. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play crucial roles in regulating the malignant phenotypes of various tumors. This study aimed to explore the role and potential mechanism of circ_0000527 in RB.Methods: The levels of circ_0000527, microRNA-98-5p (miR-98-5p) and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) were determined by qRT-PCR or western blot. Cell proliferation was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony formation assays. Cell apoptosis, migration and invasion were evaluated by flow cytometry, transwell and scratch assays. Xenograft assay was conducted to analyze tumor growth in vivo. The binding relationship between miR-98-5p and circ_0000527 or XIAP was verified by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays.Results: Circ_0000527 and XIAP levels were increased, while miR-98-5p level was reduced in RB tissues and cells. Silencing of circ_0000527 suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of RB cells and promoted apoptosis. In addition, knockdown of circ_0000527 inhibited tumor growth in xenograft mice. Besides, circ_0000527 sponged miR-98-5p to regulate RB cell progression, and miR-98-5p targeted XIAP to mediate RB cell development. Moreover, circ_0000527 modulated XIAP expression via sequestering miR-98-5p.Conclusion: Circ_0000527 facilitated RB progression via regulating miR-98-5p/XIAP axis, which provided a promising therapeutic target for RB.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on the functions of circRNA muskelin 1 (circMKLN1) in retinoblastoma (RB) progression and found that high levels of circMKLNs were related to a favorable outcome of RB patients.
Abstract: Purpose: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are essential regulators in tumorigenesis and development. In this study, we focused on the functions of circRNA muskelin 1 (circMKLN1) in retinoblastoma (RB) progression.Materials and Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was conducted to determine the levels of circMKLN1, microRNA-425-5p (miR-425-5p) and programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4). The characteristic of circMKLN1 was analyzed using RNase R assay. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and colony formation assay were employed to explore cell proliferation ability. The transwell assay was utilized for cell migration and invasion. A Western blot assay was performed for protein levels. The dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were conducted to demonstrate the relationships among circMKLN1, miR-425-5p and PDCD4. Murine xenograft model assay was adopted to investigate the role of circMKLN1 in vivo.Results: CircMKLN1 was downregulated in RB tissues and cells. High levels of circMKLN1 were related to a favorable outcome of RB patients. CircMKLN1 was resistant to RNase R digestion and circMKLN1 overexpression repressed RB cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. MiR-425-5p was identified as the target of circMKLN1 and miR-425-5p elevation reversed the effects of circMKLN1 overexpression on RB cell malignant behaviors. Furthermore, as the target gene of miR-425-5p, PDCD4 silencing could ameliorate the suppressive roles of circMKLN1 in RB cell growth and metastasis. Additionally, circMKLN1 overexpression hampered tumor growth in vivo.Conclusions: CircMKLN1 overexpression decelerated the progression of RB through sponging miR-425-5p and elevating PDCD4.
TL;DR: AOS prevents against D-gal-mediated cataract in C57BL/6 J mice via inhibiting oxidative stress and up-regulating antioxidant system and results suggest that AOS may be an effective therapeutic strategy against cataracts.
Abstract: Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS), obtained from depolymerizing alginate, has multiple pharmacological benefits. Cataract is a common disease caused by turbidity of the lens protein due to lens metab...
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of mechanical compression on cell morphology, proliferation, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation in human corneal fibroblasts was explored.
Abstract: Purpose: To explore the effect of mechanical compression (similar to that induced by eye rubbing) on cell morphology, proliferation, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation in human corneal fibroblasts.Materials and methods: Human corneal fibroblasts were isolated from corneal lenticule tissue of 10 patients after small incision lenticule extraction surgery. A system was established to mechanically compress corneal fibroblasts with pressure ranging from 0 to 524 Pa. Morphological changes, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and corneal matrix synthesis and degradation were examined using microscopy imaging, bromodeoxyuridine staining, flow cytometry, and qPCR analysis in human corneal fibroblasts after mechanical compression.Results: Human corneal fibroblasts showed short and thick cytoplasmic extensions, as well as a relatively low aspect ratio, suggesting significant morphological alterations caused by high levels of compressive stress. Mechanical compression inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. Furthermore, compressive stress led to significant elevation in the expression of genes related to extracellular matrix degradation (matrix metalloproteinases MMP1 and MMP9) as early as 6 h after compression and moderate changes in the expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of COL1A1, lumican, and vimentin were reduced 24 and 48 h after mechanical compression.Conclusions: Mechanical compression alters cell morphology, inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis, upregulates genes related to extracellular matrix degradation, and downregulates corneal structural genes in human corneal fibroblasts. This study provides evidence that compressive stress significantly influences corneal keratocytes. Our findings suggest that this mechanical effect may be related to keratoconus associated with chronic eye rubbing.