Impairment of thrombospondin-1 expression during epithelial wound healing in corneas of vitamin A-deficient mice.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a multifunctional extracellular matrix protein, during re-epithelialization in wounded corneas of vitamin A-deficient mice. Epithelial defects were created in the corneas of normal and Vitamin A-deficient mice with a microgrinder. Wounded corneas were stained with fluorescein and photographed for evaluation of re-epithelialization. Histological examination and immunohistochemical analysis of TSP-1 expression were also performed on the specimens from wounded corneas. In vitamin A-deficient mice, re-epithelialization of the wounded corneal epithelium was significantly delayed compared with that in normal mice. TSP-1 was detectable neither in the unwounded corneal epithelium of normal mice nor in that of vitamin A-deficient mice. In normal mice, linear staining of TSP-1 was observed on the wounded corneal surface and stroma at 30 min and 8 h to 16 h, respectively, after abrasion, and this TSP-1 expression disappeared at 36 to 48 h, when re-epithelialization was completed. In contrast, no TSP-1 staining was observed in the wounded corneas of vitamin A-deficient mice, except for the endothelial cells, throughout the wound healing process. Histological examination revealed a progressive increase in polymorphonuclear neutrophil infiltration in the stroma of the corneas of vitamin A-deficient mice during the healing process. These findings suggest that vitamin A may modulate the expression of TSP-1 in the corneas to accelerate the re-epithelialization of wounded corneas.
Uno
K
K
Department of Ophthalmology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan. uno6@mac.com
Kuroki
M
M
Hayashi
H
H
Uchida
H
H
Kuroki
M
M
Oshima
K
K
D000818:Animals; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019700:Thrombospondin 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
D019700:Thrombospondin 1