title: Vitronectin: a migration and wound healing factor for human corneal epithelial cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The stratified squamous epithelial covering of the cornea provides one of the first physical and immunological lines of defense. A breach in its integrity results in a wound healing response that resolves quickly. However, under certain conditions-for example, when migrating cells are unable to adhere to the basement membrane-healing may be delayed. The aim of this study was to determine whether vitronectin (VN) promotes corneal epithelial wound healing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary human corneolimbal epithelial cells and the human corneal epithelial cell (HCEC) line were cultured and monitored to determine the rate of epithelial recovery after injury. Human corneas were placed in organ culture and the epithelium debrided. Therapeutic contact lenses (CLs) soaked in saline or coated in a solution of recombinant human VN were applied and the epithelium assessed histologically after 7 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vitronectin (5 μg/mL) significantly enhanced the wound closure rate in cultured HCECs as well as in primary human corneal epithelial cells. Wound recovery was significantly blocked with a cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) peptide (10 μg/mL), a neutralizing antibody to VN (25 μg/mL) as well as after transiently silencing β5-integrin. Wound closure was not related to the effect of VN on cell proliferation. Finally, incubating epithelial-debrided human corneas with CLs loaded in VN resulted in effective re-epithelialization of the injured surface.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitronectin is a key extracellular matrix protein that expedites corneal epithelial wound recovery in vitro and ex vivo. Delivery of VN on therapeutic CLs may be an effective and efficient way to treat patients with persistent epithelial defects of the ocular surface.
authors.affiliation: School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Sharron
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.affiliation: School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Di Girolamo
mesh_terms: D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D002460:Cell Line; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D065306:Corneal Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D019096:Vitronectin; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019096:Vitronectin
keywords: cell migration; corneal epithelium; corneal wound healing