[Effect on keratocyte-mediated collagen degradation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa].
OBJECTIVE
To study the pathogenesis of cornea melting (ulceration) by pseudomona (P) aeruginosa for instruction of clinical treatment.


METHODS
Type I collagen gels with or without suspended keratocytes were incubated for 24 hours under medium containing sterile P. aeruginosa culture broth. Native collagen fibrils were removed from the media by ultrafiltration. The ultrafiltrates were then hydrolyzed, and the amount of hydroxyproline was measured spectrophotometrically. The effect of a synthetic matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor, Galardin, on collagen degradation was also examined.


RESULTS
P. aeruginosa broth induced type I collagen gel degradation directly. In the presence of keratocytes, degradation by P. aeruginosa broth was enhanced. Galardin significantly reduced the amount of collagen degraded by P. aeruginosa culture broth, no matter keratocytes were present or not.


CONCLUSIONS
P. aeruginosa culture broth directly degrades type I collagen and also increases keratocyte-mediated collagen degradation. The result is helpful to the clinical treatment of cornea melting caused by P. aeruginosa, and the mechanism should be further studied.
Hao
J
J
Department of Ophthalmology, The Third Affiliated Hsopital, Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences, Changchun 130031, China.
Lu
Y
Y
Jia
H
H
Liu
J
J
Xu
J
J
Zhang
R
R
D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011817:Rabbits
D004151:Dipeptides; C078131:N-(2(R)-2-(hydroxamidocarbonylmethyl)-4-methylpentanoyl)-L-tryptophan methylamide; D003094:Collagen