Corneal wound healing is compromised by immunoproteasome deficiency.

Recent studies have revealed roles for immunoproteasome in regulating cell processes essential for maintaining homeostasis and in responding to stress and injury. The current study investigates how the absence of immunoproteasome affects the corneal epithelium under normal and stressed conditions by comparing corneas from wildtype (WT) mice and those deficient in two immunoproteasome catalytic subunits (lmp7(-/-)/mecl-1(-/-), L7M1). Immunoproteasome expression was confirmed in WT epithelial cells and in cells of the immune system that were present in the cornea.

Halofuginone down-regulates Smad3 expression and inhibits the TGFbeta-induced expression of fibrotic markers in human corneal fibroblasts.

Purpose: Due to its ability to disrupt transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling, halofuginone has been successfully used to treat various fibrotic disorders. Here we investigated the antifibrotic potential of halofuginone in human corneal fibroblasts.

Methods: Human corneal fibroblasts were isolated from human donor corneas for in vitro experiments.