[Expression of thrombospondin 2 during the repair process after alkali burn injury of cornea in mice].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the expression of thrombospondin 2 (TSP2) during the repair process after alkali burn injury to cornea in mice.


METHODS
Forty mice were employed in the study. The murine corneal alkali burn model was reproduced (n = 35) as experimental group (E), and the mice were randomly divided into control (C, n = 5) and experimental (E, n = 35) groups. The mice in E group were again divided into 7 sub-groups according to different time points [3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 192 postburn hours (PBHs)] with 5 mice in each sub-group. HE staining, immunocytochemistry (ICC) and RT-PCR were employed to observe the expression of TSP2 in the corneal tissue of mice in both control and all animals in experimental sub-groups at all above mentioned time points (PBHs).


RESULTS
TSP2 was expressed in corneal tissue in both C and E groups, especially in the basal layer of epithelial layer, and also a weak expression in substantia propria layer. Compared with that in C group (0.48 +/- 0.15), the expression of TSP2 in E group enhanced at 3 PBH, peaked at 6 PBH, (1.54 +/- 0.45, P < 0.05), dropped to the nadir at 24 PBH (0.73 +/- 0.19), and bounded back afterwards. It peaked again at 96 PBH (1.79 +/- 0.63, P < 0.05), then decreased thereafter, and approached the control level at 192 PBH (P > 0.05). There was remarkable angiogenesis in the cornea at 24 PBH in the mice in E group.


CONCLUSIONS
The expressions of TSP2 exhibits fluctuating changes along with the course of repair. This might be related to the compensatory process under stress condition.
State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Research Institute for Traffic Medicine, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, P.R. China.
Jun
J
Yan
Zheng-guo
ZG
Wang
Pei-fang
PF
Zhu
D000818:Animals; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism*; D065306:Corneal Injuries; D005126:Eye Burns / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015870:Gene Expression; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D019699:Thrombospondins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014945:Wound Healing; D000099262:Thrombospondin 2
D019699:Thrombospondins; D000099262:Thrombospondin 2