Abstract
Purpose :
Rabbits regenerate their corneal endothelium readily after lesioning. Humans regenerate their corneal endothelium slowly if at all. FGF1 is an important growth factor in the development of the eye and stimulates regeneration. The purpose of this study was to measure the endogenous FGF1 levels in rabbits and humans to ascertain whether differing FGF1 levels might be involved in the differing levels of regeneration.
Methods :
Ocular tissues from rabbit, other species, and human eye tissues were analyzed for FGF1 content using a specific and sensitive ELISA and by western blotting.
Results :
The levels of FGF1 in the aqueous humor of rabbits is significantly higher than humans (1.1 ng/ml vs 33 pg/ml, p < 0.05). FGF1 levels in aqueous do not appear to be correlated with age. Rabbit Descemet’s membrane (+endothelial cells) contains 18 ng/g tissue. Other ocular structures in the rabbit also contain significant levels of FGF1 including the lens and iris/ciliary body.
Conclusions :
Human aqueous humor has a low concentration of FGF1 while rabbit aqueous contains much higher FGF1. The levels of FGF1 in rabbit tissues are sufficient to generate a biological effect, while those in humans are not. This may help explain the differences in corneal regeneration between the two species.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.