Abstract
Purpose :
Thrombomodulin (TM) improved skin wound healing process. However, no definite data related to corneal epithelial wound healing process were proved till now. We aim to explore the expression of TM in wound healing process, epithelial keratopathy and to investigate whether recombinant TM1 domain (rTMD1) has therapeutic potential in such conditions.
Methods :
TM localization and expression in the normal and diabetic corneas were examined by immunofluorescence staining. TM expression after injury was also studied. The effect of rTMD1 on corneal wound healing was evaluated by in vitro and in vivo assays.
Results :
TM was expressed in the cornea in normal and STZ-induced diabetic mice. TM expression increased in the early phase of wound healing and decreased after wound recovery. In the in vitro study, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) induced TM expression in murine corneal epithelial cells by mediating E26 transformation-specific sequence-1 (Ets-1) via the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in normal mice. In diabetic mice, HMGB1 might play a role in the corneal epithelial wound healing process. The administration of rTMD1 increased the rate of corneal epithelial wound healing.
Conclusions :
As our previous study showed, TM expression in corneal epithelium was modulated during the corneal wound healing process. In DM patients, rTMD1 might have therapeutic potential in corneal injury.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.