Rabbit cornea stromal hydration measured with proton NMR spectroscopy.
The suitability of water proton spin-lattice relaxation time T1 as a measure of corneal dysfunction is investigated in this paper. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance measurements were performed on excised rabbit corneas using the saturation recovery method to determine the proton spin-lattice relaxation time T1. Both freshly excised and progressively swollen rabbit corneas were studied. The experimental results are consistent with a two compartment model of "bound" water and "free" water. This model results in a linear correlation between 1 / T1 (measured) and 1/corneal hydration. This correlation suggests that water proton T1 values can be used as an index of corneal dysfunction.
D000818:Animals; D001825:Body Fluid Compartments; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism*; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism*; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits