Abstract
Purpose: :
Dry eye disease is an immune mediated disease whose precise pathogenesis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to elucidate mechanisms of dry eye (DE) mediated lymphangiogenesis and expression of various vascular endothelial growth factors and their receptors (VEGF’s/ R’s) in the cornea of a murine model of dry eye.
Methods: :
Lymphangiogenesis was studied at days 0, 6, 10, and 14 in murine dry eye corneas induced by the Controlled Environment Chamber. Growth of lymphatic vessels and infiltration of macrophages was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using LYVE-1 and CD11b respectively. In addition, real time PCR was performed to quantify expression of different vascular endothelial growth factors and their receptors (VEGF-A, C, D/ R2, R3) in the cornea at indicated time points.
Results: :
With progression of dry eye, corneas of dry eye mice showed an increasing in-growth of lymphatic vessels from the limbus towards the center of the cornea along with an increased infiltration of the CD11b+ LVYE-1+ cells. There was an increased transcript expression of all the VEGF factors and their receptors with disease progression.
Keywords: cornea: basic science • cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • vascular endothelial growth factor