title: Limbus damage in ocular graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Although animal models have been clearly established for the study of skin, liver, and gut, currently there is no equivalent experiemental model for analyzing ocular involvement, which is rather common, especially among patients diagnosed with chronic GVHD. In the current study we have developed a murine model of ocular GVHD and, for the first time, we describe the histopathologic features involving cornea and limbus, which could play a role in the physiopathology of the disease at the ocular level. Our results represent a major finding that allows us to define a model for evaluating new therapeutic strategies for treating ocular GVHD prior to their use in clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Oftalmología, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Rebeca Lorenzo
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Jose A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pérez-Simón
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caballero-Velazquez
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: Soraya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carrancio
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herrero
authors.forename: Belén
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gutierrez-Cosio
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cañete-Campos
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cruz González
authors.forename: Jesus F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: San-Miguel
authors.forename: Emiliano
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hernández-Galilea
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Abarca
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3