title: Is copper imbalance an environmental factor influencing keratoconus development?
abstract: Keratoconus is a bilateral disease characterized by progressive corneal thinning leading to irregular astigmatism that results in significant visual impairment. Despite extensive research, the exact etiopathogenesis of keratoconus remains unknown. Many copper-dependent enzymes such as superoxide dismutases, cytochrome c oxidase and lysyl oxidase have been shown to be altered in keratoconic corneas, and a decrease of copper levels in the diseased tissue has been reported as well. We propose a hypothesis linking all the putative pathways of keratoconus development and suggest that copper imbalance in corneal tissue may be an independent risk factor for the disease. The assessment of copper levels and its distribution in keratoconic corneas warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of the Biology and Pathology of the Eye, Institute of Inherited Metabolic Disorders, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address: lubica.dudakova@lf1.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dudakova
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of the Biology and Pathology of the Eye, Institute of Inherited Metabolic Disorders, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Ophthalmology, General Teaching Hospital and First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liskova
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of the Biology and Pathology of the Eye, Institute of Inherited Metabolic Disorders, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jirsova
mesh_terms: D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D003315:Cornea / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000209:etiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D003300:Copper