Studies on corneal wound healing. Effect of fucose on iodine vapor-burnt rabbit corneas.

Corneal wound healing often leads to the development of scar tissue with loss of transparency. Reconstitution of transparent corneal stroma depends on the regulation of the biosynthetic activities of postlesional keratocytes and also to a large extent on the limitation of matrix degradation, attributed essentially to the upregulation of matrix metalloproteases and especially MMP-9. Using a standardized method for the production of reproducible corneal lesions by burning with iodine vapors, we could show that the local application of 0.

MMP-type endopeptidase activity in the cornea. Its evolution during organ culture storage at the Eye Bank. Effect of hyaluronan.

About 46% of total corneas obtained from donors in the French Eye Bank cannot be grafted for several reasons as loss of endothelium or other. Corneal cells express proteolytic enzymes, essentially matrix metallo-proteinase MMP-2 and MMP-9. In presence of hyaluronan and some other GAG-s their activity increases as could be shown on keratocyte cultures.

Pharmacology of skin aging. Stimulation of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis by L-fucose and fucose-rich polysaccharides, effect of in vitro aging of fibroblasts.

The effect of L-fucose and fucose-rich polysaccharides (FROP-s [Biomed. Pharmacother., 2003; 57: 187-94]) was investigated, using human skin fibroblast cultures at several passages.

Tropoelastin biosynthesis by corneal cells. Epithelial inhibition of keratocyte tropoelastin biosynthesis.

The vertebrate cornea is an avascular tissue and does not contain elastic fibers. We tested the capacity of corneal epithelial cells and stromal keratocytes to synthesize tropoelastin. Explant cultures and cell cultures were obtained from these two cell types in standard culture conditions.

Effect of sulfated GAGs on the expression and activation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in corneal and dermal explant cultures.

It has been shown previously that hyaluronan (HA) added to fibroblast and keratocyte cell cultures or corneal explant cultures produces an up-regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression and activation. Here, we examine the effect of sulfated GAG-s, chondroitin 4 and 6 sulfate (CS4, CS6), dermatan sulfate (DS), keratan sulfate (KS) and heparan sulfate (HS) on MMP-2 and 9 expression and activation under the same culture conditions. It appears that CS4 has only minor effects, KS inhibits MMP-2 activation and CS6, DS and HS increase MMP-2 activation in corneal explant cultures.