Aging alters the phagocytic capability of inflammatory cells induced into cornea.

The changes in mouse corneal inflammatory cell population and the phagocytic capability of these cells were studied quantitatively at 24 and 48 hours after eliciting inflammatory cells into the cornea by Pseudomonas aeruginosa inoculation. Mice were selected for study according to their ability (young adult Swiss-Webster) or inability (aged Swiss-Webster) to restore corneal clarity after bacterial inoculation. Inflammatory cells were recovered from enzymatically disaggregated corneas, nucleated cells counted, and cell viability assessed to be 95% by trypan blue dye exclusion.