Corneal injury: Clinical and molecular aspects

Brayden Barrientez; Sarah E Nicholas; Amy Whelchel; Rabab Sharif; Jesper Hjortdal; Dimitrios Karamichos

doi:10.1016/j.exer.2019.107709

Corneal injury: Clinical and molecular aspects

Exp Eye Res. 2019 Sep:186:107709. doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2019.107709. Epub 2019 Jun 22.

Authors

Brayden Barrientez¹, Sarah E Nicholas¹, Amy Whelchel², Rabab Sharif³, Jesper Hjortdal⁴, Dimitrios Karamichos⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Dean McGee Eye Institute, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
² Department of Physiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
³ Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
⁵ Department of Ophthalmology, Dean McGee Eye Institute, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA; Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

Currently, over 10 million people worldwide are affected by corneal blindness. Corneal trauma and disease can cause irreversible distortions to the normal structure and physiology of the cornea often leading to corneal transplantation. However, donors are in short supply and risk of rejection is an ever-present concern. Although significant progress has been made in recent years, the wound healing cascade remains complex and not fully understood. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are currently at the apex of investigation in the pursuit of novel corneal therapeutics. This review uniquely integrates the clinical and cellular aspects of both corneal trauma and disease and provides a comprehensive view of the most recent findings and potential therapeutics aimed at restoring corneal homeostasis.

Keywords: Corneal trauma; Diabetic keratopathy; Fuchs' dystrophy; Keratoconus; Regenerative medicine.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Review

MeSH terms

Corneal Diseases* / physiopathology
Corneal Diseases* / therapy
Corneal Injuries* / physiopathology
Corneal Injuries* / therapy
Corneal Transplantation / methods
Humans
Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / trends
Stem Cell Transplantation / methods

Grants and funding

R01 EY028888/EY/NEI NIH HHS/United States