Purpose:
SPARC is a calcium binding matricellular protein, acidic and rich in cysteine. Hevin shares a high degree of homology with SPARC, displays anti-adhesive properties similar to SPARC. Both are upregulated during embryogenesis and tissue remodeling where it is involved in the regulation of cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation. The present study was undertaken to compare the refraction, corneal radius of curvature(CRC), and axial components(lens thickness(LT) and axial length(AL)) in SPARC-null and Hevin null mice to those of wild type (WT) mice.
Methods:
26 C57Bl6J WT mice, 21 SPARC-null and 27 Hevin null mice of 8 weeks old were selected for the study. Infrared photokeratometry were used to measure CRC. Refraction and pupil size of the mice were recorded by eccentric infrared photoretinoscopy. Optical low coherence interferometry (OLCI) adapted for short measurement distances by Carl Zeiss (the ‘‘ACMaster’’) was used to measure axial components between 11am and 4pm.
Results:
SPARC-null mice were more hyperopic(9.5682+/-0.3595), compared to WT mice(7.815+/-0.5009). Hevin-null mice were less hyperopic(5.527+/-0.3623), compared to WT mice. SPARC-null(1.6742+/-0.0454) and Hevin-null mice(1.6146+/-0.0593) showed significantly increased CRC compared to WT mice(1.5737+/-0.0504). SPARC-null and Hevin-null mice showed significantly increased AL and LT compared to those of WT mice.
Conclusions:
Hevin-null mice were less hyperopic compared to WT. This could be due to increased LT and AL, even with increased CRC. SPARC-null mice were more hyperopic compared to WT mice, even with increased LT and AL, possibly due to significantly increased CRC.