Phenotypic changes and inflammatory cell distribution in the cornea during development of experimental immune-mediated blepharoconjunctivitis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the morphological changes in the cornea during the development of experimental immune-mediated blepharoconjunctivitis (EC).


METHODS
EC was induced in Brown Norway (BN) rats by active immunization with ovalbumin (OVA) emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant and a subsequent challenge by OVA eyedrops. The corneas were analyzed immunohistochemically.


RESULTS
Before the induction of EC, cells stained with OX6 (rat MHC class 2, RT1B), ED1 (tissue macrophages), ED2 (resident macrophages), CD4, or major basic protein were present in the peripheral corneal stroma. ED1- and OX6-stained cells were also observed in the central corneal stroma, and their number increased after the antigen challenge. Infiltration of cells stained with ED1, ED2, OX62 (dendritic cells), CD4, or CD3 (T cells) from the limbus to the peripheral corneal stroma started 6 h after the antigen challenge. Expression of MHC class 2 molecules was induced on the corneal epithelium by the antigen challenge.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study demonstrates for the first time the phenotypic changes and distribution of inflammatory cells in the cornea during the development of EC.
Laboratory of Immunology, Department of Ophthalmology, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku, Japan.
Akemi
A
Ozaki
Waka
W
Ishida
Kazuyo
K
Fukata
Atsuki
A
Fukushima
Hisayuki
H
Ueno
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D001762:Blepharitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000473:pathology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*
D015703:Antigens, CD; D010047:Ovalbumin