engleski

The expression of human corneal MMP-2, MMP-9, proMMP-13 and TIMP-1 in bullous kerathopathy and keratoconus

We aim to find a link between keratokonus (KC) and bullous keratopathy (BK), and extra cellular matrix re-modellation molecules. The activities of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), pro-matrix metalloproteinase-13 (proMMP-13) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) were measured using immunoassay in three human corneal tissue layers (epithelium, stroma and endothelium) supernatants of the patients with KC and BK which underwent the perforative keratoplasty, MPP-2, MMP-9, proMMP-13 and TIMP-1 activity was detected in all samples. The epithelial layer showed significantly higher levels of MMP-9 and proMMP-13 in BK than in KC. Increased levels of MMP-2 (p=0.07) levels were found in bullous keratopathy compared to keratoconus patients. Epithelial TIMP-1 showed no significant difference in activity between KC and BK. All these findings suggest an active degradation of the extra-cellular matrix in epithelial corneal layer in Bullous Keratopathy. No difference in the concentration of MMP-2, MMP-9, proMMP-13 and TIMP-1 between KC and BK in corneal stroma and endothelium suggest that neither of these molecules play important role in KC or BK pathogenesis, at least not in stroma and endothelium.

corneal transplantation; keratoconus; corneal edema; matalloproteinases

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