[Observation of the endothelial healing in rabbit corneal alkali wounds by alizarin red S-trypan blue staining method].
OBJECTIVE
To study the healing of the corneal endothelial cells in rabbit corneal alkali wounds.


METHODS
26 New Zealand white rabbits were used. A alkali wound was created with a round filter paper, 8 mm in diameter, which was soaked in 0.5 N NaOH for 5 seconds and was placed centrally on the cornea for 60 seconds. The rabbits were killed in 20 minutes; 1, 2, 6, 12 h; 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 30 days after injury. The corneal endothelium was examined in the light microscope using a lizarin red S-trypan blue staining method.


RESULTS
Twenty minutes after the wound, the corneal endothelial cells were destroyed. 72 hours following the wound, the endothelial cells surrounding the burns became larger, irregular and started to migrate onto the denuded descemet's membrane. The endothelial cells covered the burn with the spindle-shaped cells 7 days after wound.


CONCLUSIONS
The endothelial damage is healed by the division and migration of remaining endothelial cells at the margin of the wound, which has some characters of fibroblast.
Li
Y
Y
Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510060, China.
Feng
G
G
Yi
Y
Y
Zhong
X
X
Zheng
H
H
D000468:Alkalies; D000818:Animals; D000880:Anthraquinones; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology; D065306:Corneal Injuries; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005126:Eye Burns / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011817:Rabbits; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014343:Trypan Blue; D014945:Wound Healing
D000468:Alkalies; D000880:Anthraquinones; C004468:Alizarin Red S; D014343:Trypan Blue