An intact globe technique for electrophysiological studies on cornea.
An intact globe method was developed to determine the characteristics of the cornea of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. With this method the anterior chamber could be perfused and the transcorneal potential difference (PD) and electrical resistance determined. It was found for the endothelium plus stroma (epithelium scraped) that the PD was essentially zero and the electrical resistance was only a small fraction of that of the intact cornea. Elevation of K+ or decrease in Cl- concentration in the anterior chamber produced in intact corneas a large and rapid change in PD while with the epithelium scraped (stroma and endothelium intact) these elevations produced a negligible change in PD. It is concluded that ions can rapidly move across the endothelium and stroma of the cornea.
D000818:Animals; D002712:Chlorides / Q000502:physiology; D003315:Cornea / Q000502:physiology*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods*; D004727:Endothelium / Q000502:physiology; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D011188:Potassium / Q000502:physiology; D011892:Rana catesbeiana
D002712:Chlorides; D011188:Potassium