Advanced glycation end-products in corneas of patients with keratoconus.
BACKGROUND
Keratoconus remains a poorly understood yet widespread disease which poses a potential threat to human vision. The underlying mechanisms are still not clear. One possible pathway is increased formation and accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in the cornea.


METHODS
Corneas obtained from six patients with keratoconus and from six healthy controls were investigated. An immunohistochemical localisation of the well-known AGE N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine (CML) was performed using a polyclonal anti-CML antibody.


RESULTS
In the corneas of all six patients with keratoconus, CML immunoreactivity was found in the epithelial as well as in the endothelial cells. The keratocytes also showed a positive reaction. The controls, in contrast, showed very little or no immunoreactivity.


CONCLUSIONS
In the epithelial, stromal and endothelial cells of corneas with keratoconus an accumulation of CML was detected which might play a role in the pathogenesis of keratoconus.
Dawczynski
Jens
J
Department of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Bachstrasse 18, 07740 Jena, Germany. jens.dawczynski@med.uni-jena.de
Franke
Sibylle
S
Blum
Marcus
M
Kasper
Michael
M
Stein
Günter
G
Strobel
Jürgen
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008239:Lysine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced; C048496:N(6)-carboxymethyllysine; D008239:Lysine