glycogen and Corneal-Ulcer

This study assesses the impact of various forms of injury on matrix degrading enzymes in nutritionally compromised rat corneas. In vitamin A-deficient (nutritionally compromised) and normal control corneas, in vivo or ex vivo mild mechanical abrasion did not appreciably alter the activity of either the 65-kDa or the 92-kDa gelatinases. In contrast, after thermal injury, while no appreciable change was detected in activity associated with the 65-kDa gelatinase in either vitamin A-deficient or normal control corneas, 92-kDa gelatinolytic activity was consistently higher in corneas from both groups, although activity associated with nutritionally compromised corneas was much higher. In these corneas, thermal injury also induced the expression of two high molecular weight (approximately 130-kDa and 225-kDa) gelatinases and a 27-kDa caseinase. While gelatinases were totally inactivated by inhibitors of metalloproteinases such as 1,10-phenanthroline and Galardin MPI, the 27-kDa caseinase showed considerable susceptibility to a mixture of serine protease inhibitors (aprotinin, dichloro-isocoumarin and pA-PMSF [(4-amidino-phenyl)-methane-sulphonyl fluoride]. Furthermore, unactivated-lymphoreticular cells from either nutritionally compromised or normal control animals contained a 24- and 27-kDa caseinase, however most of the activity was due to the 24-kDa caseinase. In contrast, glycogen-activated lymphoreticular cells contained a preponderance of the 27-kDa caseinase. Activated-lymphoreticular cells also expressed 92-kDa, 130-kDa and 225-kDa gelatinases. The presence of low molecular weight caseinases in lymphoreticular cells implicates them as the source of these enzymes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Animals; Cornea; Corneal Injuries; Corneal Ulcer; Eye Injuries; Gelatinases; Glycogen; Male; Metalloendopeptidases; Peptide Hydrolases; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reticulocytes; Vitamin A Deficiency

Fifty consecutive cases of severe keratitis with clinical signs of corneal ulcers were examined histologically for stage of inflammatory reaction. Further, 14 similar cases were studied ultrastructurally. Cell counts of polymorphonuclears (PML), eosinophils, lymphocytes and plasma cells were carried out. Further the corneas were grouped according to their content of PAS-positive PML. The state of ulceration was estimated microscopically. PML at a cell count of greater than 10 cells/mean field (x 1000) were found in 32/50 cases, and were significantly more frequent in corneal areas with epithelial or Descemet membrane defects. Most PML were PAS-positive (26/50), the positive material having characteristics of glycogen. PAS-negative PML were found in corneas with increased amount of plasma cells. By TEM the PML were found highly phagocytic, partly degranulated and with reduced glycogen content. TEM could not, on the formalin fixed specimens, determine whether PAS-negative PML had a higher protein turn-over, but the findings indicate that corneal ulcers with PAS-negative PML contain a high amount of proteases, because of many degranulated PML and probably a reactivation of PML. Therefore the PAS stainability can be used as an indicator for the PML activity in corneal ulcers.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Child; Child, Preschool; Cornea; Corneal Ulcer; Female; Glycogen; Humans; Inclusion Bodies; Leukocyte Count; Male; Middle Aged; Neutrophils; Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction; Staining and Labeling

Topics: Animals; Aqueous Humor; Contact Lenses; Cornea; Corneal Ulcer; Diffusion; Epithelium; Glucose; Glycogen; Lactates; Rabbits

Topics: Animals; Aqueous Humor; Burns, Chemical; Ciliary Body; Cornea; Corneal Ulcer; Culture Techniques; Epithelium; Eye Burns; Glucose; Glycogen; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Iris; Lactates; Microbial Collagenase; Rabbits; Sclera