Is sex a biological variable in corneal wound healing?

Is sex a biological variable in corneal wound healing? Exp Eye Res. 2019 Jun 18;:107705 Authors: Tripathi R, Giuliano EA, Gafen H, Gupta S, Martin LM, Sinha PR, Rodier JT, Fink MK, Hesemann NP, Chaurasia SS, Mohan RR Abstract Wound healing differs significantly in men and women in a tissue-dependent manner. Dermal wounds heal faster in women whereas mucosal wounds heal faster in men. However, the effect of sex as a variable in corneal wound healing is largely unknown. The primary objective of this study was to test whether sex is a biological variable in corneal wound healing activated by the trauma or injury using an established in vivo rabbit model with male and female New Zealand White rabbits. Corneal wounds in rabbits were produced by a single topical alkali (0.5N Sodium hydroxide) application. Serial slit-lamp, stereo biomicroscopy, and applanation tonometry evaluated corneal opacity, anterior segment ocular health, and intraocular pressure (IOP), respectively, at various times during the study. Fourteen days after wound, corneal tissues were collected after humane euthanasia to examine cellular and molecular wound healing parameters. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence were used to quantify changes in the extracellular modeling protein levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Fibronectin (FN), Collagen-I (Col-I), and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) involved in corneal healing. Hematoxylin and Eosi...
Source: Experimental Eye Research - Category: Opthalmology Authors: Tags: Exp Eye Res Source Type: research