title: Effect of acacia honey on cultured rabbit corneal keratocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acacia honey is a natural product which has proven to have therapeutic effects on skin wound healing, but its potential healing effects in corneal wound healing have not been studied. This study aimed to explore the effects of Acacia honey (AH) on corneal keratocytes morphology, proliferative capacity, cell cycle, gene and protein analyses. Keratocytes from the corneal stroma of six New Zealand white rabbits were isolated and cultured until passage 1. The optimal dose of AH in the basal medium (FD) and medium containing serum (FDS) for keratocytes proliferation was identified using MTT assay. The morphological changes, gene and protein expressions of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), marker for quiescent keratocytes and vimentin, marker for fibroblasts were detected using q-RTPCR and immunocytochemistry respectively. Flowcytometry was performed to evaluate the cell cycle analysis of corneal keratocytes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cultured keratocytes supplemented with AH showed no morphological changes compared to control. Keratocytes cultured in FD and FDS media supplemented with 0.025% AH showed optimal proliferative potential compared with FD and FDS media, respectively. Gene expressions of ADLH and vimentin were increased in keratocytes cultured with AH enriched media. All proteins were expressed in keratocytes cultured in all media in accordance to the gene expression findings. No chromosomal changes were detected in keratocytes in AH enriched media.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corneal keratocytes cultured in media supplemented with 0.025% AH showed an increase in proliferative capacity while retaining their morphology, gene and protein expressions with normal cell cycle. The results of the present study show promising role of AH role in accelerating the initial stage of corneal wound healing.
authors.forename: Choy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ker-Woon
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. norzanafi9506@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Norzana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abd Ghafar
authors.forename: Chua Kien
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Yasmin Anum
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Mohd Yusof
mesh_terms: D000045:Acacia / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees; D001688:Biological Products / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D060527:Corneal Keratocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D003470:Culture Media / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006722:Honey / Q000032:analysis; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D003470:Culture Media