Abstract
Purpose :
Recently, we reported young Ossabaw pigs fed a Western diet show signs of early diabetic retinopathy. Additionally, Ossabaw pigs serve as a good model for studying wound healing parameters in Type II diabetic corneas. The present study sought to determine the changes in the vital wound healing parameters in Type II diabetic pig corneas.
Methods :
Corneal tissues from six-month-old Ossabaw miniature pigs fed a Western diet with high-fat/high-fructose corn syrup/high-choleric content for ten weeks were used to prepare mRNA for qPCR, tissue lysates for western blot, and 8 mm cryosections for immunohistochemistry. The wound healing parameters including, collagen I, collagen III (COL III), fibronectin (FN), tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 1, MMP9, transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFβ1), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) were determined. Masson’s Trichrome staining was performed to evaluate the corneal collagen distribution.
Results :
Diabetic Ossabaw pig corneas showed significantly altered levels of COL I, COL III, FN, MMP1, MMP9, αSMA, TGFβ, TIMP1, and compared to the regular diet-fed corneas. Masson’s Trichrome stain showed the increased levels of collagen in diabetic corneas compared to healthy age-matched corneas.
Conclusions :
Diabetic Ossabaw pig demonstrated notably altered expression of structural and wound healing parameters suggesting the vulnerability of the corneal tissue to the external insult/injury.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.