Abstract
Purpose :
Keratoconus (KC) is the most common ectatic corneal disease with significant visual acuity burden. Despite recent advancements, KC pathobiology remains unclear. In recent years, our focus has been on unravelling the role of sex hormones in KC. The current study presents evidence, for the first time, that sex hormone imbalances in KC initiated from the anterior pituitary and the secretion of gonadotropins.
Methods :
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of gonadotropins in KC. We recruited 86 KC patients (63 male, 23 female), and 45 healthy controls (22 male, 23 female). Plasma samples were collected and analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Corneal stromal cells from KC and healthy controls and human epithelial corneal cells were also investigated for gonadotropin-related markers.
Results :
Our findings showed a significantly lower LH/FSH ratio in KCs when compared to healthy controls, in both males and females. The lowest LH/FSH ratio was seen in KC-Females at the 15-29y/o and ≥46y/o age groups and was directly correlated with increased KC severity. Stromal cells from both healthy and KC expressed LH, LHR, and FSHR, but not FSH. Corneal epithelial cells only expressed FSHR.
Conclusions :
Our study is the first to demonstrate the role of LH/FSH in KCs and expands the list of organs known to express gonadotropins to include the human cornea. Our findings suggest an intriguing mechanism for the onset and/or progression of KC.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.