Influence of Anterior Segment Trauma on Endogenous Hyaluronan in the Rabbit Cornea and Aqueous

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To monitor probable changes of endogenous hyaluronan in rabbit cornea and aqueous after extracapsular lens extraction. STUDY DESIGN: Rabbit eyes were operated with extracapsular lens extraction and corneal and aqueous hyaluronan were measured at different time intervals after surgery. PATIENT: Pigmented rabbits were used in the study. SETTING: Ophthalmic Research Department, University Hospital of Lund, Sweden. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hyaluronan concentration in aqueous and cornea. Protein concentration and white blood cell count in aqueous. RESULTS: Total corneal hyaluronan increased from the normal 1.20 ± 2.0 µg/g wet weight to a peak concentration of about 150 µg/g wet weight 14 days after surgery. Sixty days after surgery the corneal hyaluronan concentration was still 10 times that in normal cornea. Aqueous hyaluronan increased more rapidly than in the cornea, from 0.65 ± 0.04 µgml-l to around 6 µgml-l two days after surgery. Sixty days after surgery the aqueous hyaluronan concentration in operated eyes was still twice that in controls. Eyes where a cataract wound was made without removing the lens did not demonstrate the pronounced increase in aqueous hyaluronan. CONCLUSION: An appearance of hyaluronan in corneal wounds after extracapsular lens extraction is shown histochemically and quantitatively. The characteristics of this increase makes it probably that it is synthesized locally. The increase of aqueous hyaluronan probably reflects leakage from the vitreous.