title: Corneal Epithelial Wound Healing.
abstract: The cornea is important for a clear vision by refracting light onto the lens, which in turn focusing on the retina. To maintain a smooth optical surface, corneal epithelium has to continuously renew itself to function as a barrier so that it protects the eye from various environmental insults. The adult corneal epithelium is maintained homeostatically by an integrated process of cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, stratification, and desquamation/apoptosis. Impairment of this process results in persistent corneal defect, leading to the blindness. Researches throughout the years revealed that appropriate integration and coordination of cell signaling events are responsible for corneal epithelial renewal and wound healing. In this chapter, we will review works done on cell culture, animal models, and human trials to focus on the signaling network during corneal wound healing process which will have potential for the discovery of novel drug to improve corneal wound healing.
authors: Edith Crawley Ophthalmic Research Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Electronic address: liucg@ucmail.uc.edu.
authors: Chia-Yang
authors: CY
authors: Liu
authors: Edith Crawley Ophthalmic Research Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Electronic address: Winston.Kao@UC.Edu.
authors: Winston Whei-Yang
authors: WW
authors: Kao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D016023:Integrins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
keywords: Corneal epithelium; Corneal wound healing; Growth factors/cytokines; Limbal stem cells; Signal transduction