title: [Glycosaminoglycans associate with corneal transparency].
abstract: Keratoplasty specimens form 12 patients with macular corneal dystrophy, 1 patient with systemic glycosaminoglycan stored disease and 12 cases of normal cornea were studied by electron-histochemistry. The results showed that the normal cornea contains chondroitin sulfate in the basement membrane and bowman's membrane, Keratan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate between the collagen fibrils of strome, heparan sulfate on the cell membranes of various cells, and hyaluronic acid on the surface of endothelial cell. The chondroitin sulfate of the stroma of macular corneal dystrophy increases, but the keratan sulfate is absent. The keratocytes and endothelial cells of macular corneal dystrophy synthesize fibrillogranular material and abnormal glycosaminoglycan. The heparan sulfate is stored in the cytoplasm of corneal epithelial cell and keratocyte of systemic glycosaminoglycan stored disease and absent on the membrane of involved cells. The authors suggest that glycosaminoglycan play important role in maintaining corneal transparency and the changes of distribution, character and quantity of glycosaminoglycan in the cornea cause corneal opaqueness.
authors.affiliation: Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D003315:Cornea / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003317:Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary / Q000378:metabolism; D003318:Corneal Opacity / Q000378:metabolism*; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000032:analysis*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans