title: Immunohistochemical analysis of inflammatory limbal conjunctiva adjacent to Mooren's ulcer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the characteristics of infiltrating cells in conjunctival tissues adjacent to the peripheral corneal ulcers of Mooren's ulcer.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study involved four eyes of four patients with Mooren's ulcer and who were considered to be in need of surgical treatment. The patients' resected conjunctival tissues were embedded and frozen. The tissue sections were then subjected to H&E and immunohistochemical staining. The stained sections were observed and the characteristics of the infiltrating cells in the conjunctival tissues were pathologically examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all patients, infiltration of inflammatory cells was observed in the submucosal connective tissue of the conjunctiva. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed inflammatory cell infiltration into the submucosal layer of the conjunctiva that was mainly composed of CD3-positive and CD45RO-positive cells. Some of these cells also showed positive reactivity with CD4, yet very few cells showed positive reactivity with CD8. In addition, infiltration of the cells indicating CD68 positivity was frequent in a few cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the four Mooren's ulcer cases, infiltrating cells in the submucosa of the conjunctival tissues adjacent to the ulcerative cornea were found to be mainly composed of helper T lymphocytes and macrophages. Our results show that helper T cells and macrophages contribute to the pathogenesis of Mooren's ulcer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinomiya
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueta
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sotozono
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inatomi
authors.forename: Norihiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology*; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000276:immunology*; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule