Differential distribution of blood and lymphatic vessels in the murine cornea.
OBJECTIVE
Because of its unique characteristics, the cornea has been widely used for blood and lymphatic vessel research. However, whether limbal or corneal vessels are evenly distributed under normal or inflamed conditions has never been studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate this question and to examine whether and how the distribution patterns change during corneal inflammatory lymphangiogenesis (LG) and hemangiogenesis (HG).


METHODS
Corneal inflammatory LG and HG were induced in two most commonly used mouse strains, BALB/c and C57BL/6 (6-8 weeks of age), by a standardized two-suture placement model. Oriented flat-mount corneas together with the limbal tissues were used for immunofluorescence microscope studies. Blood and lymphatic vessels under normal and inflamed conditions were analyzed and quantified to compare their distributions.


RESULTS
The data demonstrate, for the first time, greater distribution of both blood and lymphatic vessels in the nasal side in normal murine limbal areas. This nasal-dominant pattern was maintained during corneal inflammatory LG, whereas it was lost for HG.


CONCLUSIONS
Blood and lymphatic vessels are not evenly distributed in normal limbal areas. Furthermore, corneal LG and HG respond differently to inflammatory stimuli. These new findings will shed some light on corneal physiology and pathogenesis and on the development of experimental models and therapeutic strategies for corneal diseases.
Ecoiffier
Tatiana
T
Center for Eye Disease and Development, School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Yuen
Don
D
Chen
Lu
L
D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000378:metabolism*; D003315:Cornea / Q000098:blood supply*; D016510:Corneal Neovascularization / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007634:Keratitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000098:blood supply; D042583:Lymphangiogenesis; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism
D006023:Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; C492273:LYVE1 protein, mouse