Limbus damage in ocular graft-versus-host disease.
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.
Pérez
Rebeca Lorenzo
RL
Servicio de Oftalmología, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Pérez-Simón
Jose A
JA
Caballero-Velazquez
Teresa
T
Flores
Teresa
T
Carrancio
Soraya
S
Herrero
Carmen
C
Blanco
Belén
B
Gutierrez-Cosio
Silvia
S
Cañete-Campos
Cristina
C
Cruz González
Fernando
F
San-Miguel
Jesus F
JF
Hernández-Galilea
Emiliano
E
Sánchez-Abarca
Ignacio
I
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
C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3