Abstract
Purpose: :
Lymphatic vessels play an essential role in generating an immune response after organ transplantation and are involved in tumor metastasis. Purpose of this study was to analyze the heterogeneity of inflammation-induced lymphangiogenesis in different inbred mouse strains.
Methods: :
The mouse model of suture-induced corneal neovascularization was used to determine the extent of the lymphangiogenic response due to an inflammatory stimulus. Three interrupted 11-0 nylon sutures were placed into the corneal stroma of different inbred mice strains (C67BL/6NCrl, 129S1/SvImJ, Balb/cAnNCrl, FVB/NCrl, SJL/JCrl, Cast/EiJ) and left in place for 14 days. The outgrowth of new lymph vessels was analyzed morphometrically (using LYVE-1 as a specific marker for lymphatic endothelium) with the image analysis software Cell^F (Olympus, Hamburg, Germany).
Results: :
FVB/NCrl mice show a 1.6-fold increase in the inflammatory lymphangiogenic response compared to Balb/cAnNCrl. The corneal neovascularization area of FVB/NCrl mice differs significantly from Balb/cAnNCrl mice (p<0.001).
Conclusions: :
The mouse strain itself has a significant influence on corneal lymphangiogenesis in an inflammatory context. The interindividual differences in the lymphangiogenic response could affect the risk for (corneal) graft rejection after transplantation and the response to an anti-lymphangiogenic treatment.
Keywords: cornea: basic science • neovascularization • inflammation