Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the expression of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 Ra) in ex vivo human corneal epithelium.
Methods: :
Four samples of human ex vivo corneal epithelium were obtained from patients undergoing PRK. The epithelium was scraped and placed in mRNA isolation buffer (Qiagen). mRNA was isolated from each sample and rt-PCR was performed using oligo-dT primers. PCR was then performed on the cDNA products using primers specific for IL-1Ra. The PCR products were sequenced to verify that the amplified DNA fragments were IL-1Ra.
Results: :
IL-1 Ra was expressed in all of the ex vivo corneal epithelium samples.
Keywords: cornea: epithelium • wound healing