Abstract
Purpose. Electron microscopy analysis of collagen fibrils in the corneal stroma of rats after UV cross-linking. Material and methods. Experiments were carried out on rats in 2 groups: 1st – control (intact), 2nd – experiment (UV corneal cross-linking with riboflavin). The observation period is 3, 90 days. The UV irradiation power of the cornea is 3 mW / cm², the duration is 10 minutes. For electron microscopic examination, corneal pieces were fixed in a solution of 2 % glutaraldehyde. Dehydration and pouring were carried out according to the generally accepted method. Ultrathin sections were obtained using the ultramicrotome "Leica EM UC7" (Leica Microsystems) and viewed in the electron microscope JEM-1011 (Jeol). To determine the density of fibrillar packing of corneal collagen fibers, microphotographs were analyzed at magnification ×15,000. The number of collagen fibrils on an area of 250,000 nm² was calculated. The same microphotographs were used to measure the diameter of collagen fibrils. All numerical data were processed by the method of variational statistics. Histograms of the normal diameter distribution of collagen fibrils were analyzed. Results. The ultrastructure of corneal collagen on the 3rd day after UV corneal crosslinking was characterized by an increase in the interfibrillary space. This indicator was partially restored to its original values on the 90th day. At the same time, the fibrils retained the correct shape and sequence. The results of the analysis of the normal distribution of the diameter of collagen fibrils indicated an increase of an average of 10 %. Conclusion. An increase in the interfibrillary space after UV corneal crosslinking is probably associated with the development of postoperative stroma edema, which can be observed up to several months at the ultrastructural level. The revealed increase in the diameter of collagen fibrils is one of the factors increasing the strength and mechanical properties of the cornea. Keywords: UV cross-linking of rat cornea, electron microscopy, diameter of collagen fibrils, interfibrillary space.
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