Alkali-degraded cornea generates a low molecular weight chemoattractant for polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
OBJECTIVE
The current study was designed to determine if a polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) chemoattractant is derived from alkali-degraded whole cornea and to establish a range for its molecular weight.


METHODS
We utilized a collagen gel-visual chemotactic assay to quantify the directional movement of PMN exposed to alkali-degraded corneas (30 min or 24 hr). In this experiment, the sample to be tested for chemotactic activity passed through a 14,000 molecular weight cutoff membrane into a collagen gel in which resting neutrophils were suspended in a random fashion. Cell movement was videotaped and subsequently tracked by digitizing the centroid of the cells at 30-sec intervals. Computer analysis of these tracks illustrated many behavioral characteristics, including directional movement.


RESULTS
Alkali-degraded whole bovine corneas produced a chemotactic response in neutrophils within 5 min. Dilution of the 24-hr sample to 1:7 yielded a significant chemotactic response. The chemotactic response of both the 30-min and 24-hr samples followed a dose-response curve.


CONCLUSIONS
This agent may be one of the inflammatory mediators that trigger the early neutrophil response after an alkali-injury to the eye.
Eye Research Laboratories, Brookwood Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama.
R R
RR
Pfister
J L
JL
Haddox
C I
CI
Sommers
D000818:Animals; D002057:Burns, Chemical; D002417:Cattle; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; D003315:Cornea / Q000276:immunology*; D015194:Diffusion Chambers, Culture; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005126:Eye Burns / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology*; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide
D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide