{"title":"Immunohistochemical study of transient receptor potential Vanilloid (TRPV1-4) channels expression in human and rat corneas","authors":"Akepogu Jacquelyn , Bokara Kiran Kumar , Sirisha Senthil , Charanya Ramachandran","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110616","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110616","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Transient Receptor potential Vanilloid (TRPV) channels are a group of cation channels that are expressed in a wide variety of tissues and are involved in regulating several cellular processes. An alteration in their expression and cellular localization is associated with various pathologies. In this study, we investigated the expression and localization of TRPV1-4 channels in human and rat corneas. TRPV 1–4 channels were found to be expressed in the epithelium, keratocytes, and endothelium of both species, which was confirmed at the gene and protein levels through PCR analysis and immunostaining. The channels were seen to be largely distributed at the cell membrane and cytoplasm, but the intensity of staining, quantified using Image J software, varied within and between cell layers. In addition, we found nuclear expression of these channels in corneal cells, and the same was quantified using ImageJ software. In both species, robust expression of TRPV1-4 channels, including in the cell nuclei, was noted in the epithelium and endothelium, compared to the stromal cells. This study provides evidence for the expression of TRPV2 and 3 channels, for which there is limited information in the corneal cells. In conclusion, this study confirms the expression of TRPV1-4 channels in the corneal cells of both species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110616"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144948174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yixue Yin , Luguang Jiao , Jiarui Wang , Jike Song , Zaifu Yang , Hongsheng Bi
{"title":"Single-cell RNA sequencing of mouse cornea during wound healing after infrared laser irradiation","authors":"Yixue Yin , Luguang Jiao , Jiarui Wang , Jike Song , Zaifu Yang , Hongsheng Bi","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cornea is highly specialized and a detailed map of the diverse component cell types is a vital tool for ocular disease treatment and corneal healing. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed to analyze corneal wound healing in C57BL/6J mice following 3.74 μm infrared laser injury (23.2 J/cm<sup>2</sup>). Analysis of 12,956 cells from 10 healthy corneas identified 28 clusters of epithelial stem cells, differentiated epithelial cells, stromal cells, endothelial cells, immune cells, Schwann cells and progenitor populations. Three newly differentiated epithelial subpopulations emerged at 3 days post-injury and a marked increase in immune cells, especially neutrophils and CD163+ macrophages, was seen. Differentiated epithelial cells and normal stromal cells decreased, myofibroblasts and stromal stem cells increased and endothelial cells and Schwann cells declined. Immune cell numbers and myofibroblasts had decreased by 21 days post-injury and differentiated epithelial cells, normal stromal cells and stromal stem cells had increased. Endothelial cells and Schwann cells showed partial recovery. Corneal repair was composed of two distinct phases. An early inflammatory phase was characterized by immune activation and epithelial remodeling and a late recovery phase by stromal restoration, myofibroblast regression and neural/endothelial regeneration. Dynamic cellular interactions during corneal wound healing are described by the present work.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110615"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144947650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of limbal tissue with conjunctival flap and bovine amniotic membrane on alkaline burn corneal wound: experimental study in rabbits","authors":"Reihaneh Izadi Niaki , Mir Sepehr Pedram , Mohammad Abarkar , Mozhgan Rezaei Kanavi , Hesam Akbarein , Alireza Akbary , Amirhossein Fallah","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110597","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110597","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Corneal ulcers pose a significant threat to vision and require timely, effective intervention to prevent permanent damage. This experimental study evaluated the therapeutic potential of combining crushed limbal tissue with either bovine amniotic membrane (AM) or a conjunctival flap to enhance corneal wound healing in a rabbit model. Twenty-five New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to five groups: (G1) untreated control, (G2) AM alone, (G3) conjunctival flap alone, (G4) AM with crushed limbal tissue, and (G5) conjunctival flap with crushed limbal tissue. Standardized central corneal alkaline burns were induced using 1N sodium hydroxide. Healing was monitored over six weeks through fluorescein staining, serial imaging, and histopathological analysis. By week six, epithelial defect areas were significantly reduced in G2 (<em>p</em> = 0.031) and G4 (<em>p</em> = 0.011) compared to controls. G3 showed moderate improvement, while G5 exhibited variable outcomes with delayed healing in some animals. Only G1 showed progressive epithelial deterioration over time (<em>p</em> = 0.039). All treated groups (G2–G5) demonstrated early neovascularization, with partial regression by week six. Histologically, keratocyte loss was significantly reduced in G4 and G5 (<em>p</em> < 0.004), and stromal inflammation was milder in G2 (<em>p</em> = 0.03). Retrocorneal membrane formation was most frequent in G3. Among all groups, G4 showed the most consistent regenerative outcomes. These findings support the application of bovine AM combined with autologous limbal tissue as a practical and biologically active strategy for corneal repair in veterinary models. Further studies are warranted to evaluate long-term efficacy and optimize integration methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110597"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Temitayo I. Subair, Bolaji Oyetayo, Natalia Morales-Ramírez, Luisa C. Hernández-Kelly, Leticia Ramírez-Martínez, Emma S. Calderón-Aranda, Esther López-Bayghen, Arturo Ortega
{"title":"Glutamate uptake activity in retina Müller cells: Circadian modulation","authors":"Temitayo I. Subair, Bolaji Oyetayo, Natalia Morales-Ramírez, Luisa C. Hernández-Kelly, Leticia Ramírez-Martínez, Emma S. Calderón-Aranda, Esther López-Bayghen, Arturo Ortega","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110603","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110603","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Signal transmission in the visual pathway is carried by glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate brain. Ionotropic and metabotropic receptors mediate the actions of this amino acid. A tight regulation of extra-synaptic glutamate concentrations is needed for the selective activation of its receptors as a function of the day/night cycle. Moreover, proper extra synaptic glutamate levels regulation is also important for the avoidance of an excitotoxic insult. A family of plasma membrane glutamate transporters expressed in glia cells carries out the clearance of this amino acid from the synaptic cleft. Taking into consideration the well-established light-dependent differential glutamate release, we decided to evaluate the expression and uptake activity of Müller glia glutamate transporters, since these cells are responsible for more than 90 % of the total retinal glutamate uptake activity. To this end, we used the Moorfields/Institute of Ophthalmology-Müller 1 cell line and a rat retina Müller glia primary culture synchronized through a 50 % serum strategy. The glutamate transport activity was evaluated with a [<sup>3</sup>H] D-Aspartate uptake assay. A time-dependent differential glutamate transporter regulation was present demonstrating that the night/dark cycle regulates the transporter function. This data supports the notion that Müller glia has intrinsic photoreceptor properties and further strengthens the role of radial glia cells in retina physiology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110603"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Siqi Wang , Yanchao Li , Jiang Yu , Baoyue Zhang , Wenwen Cui , Yanjun Du , Jia Song , Huan Liu , Yongjun Wang
{"title":"Advances in corneal preservation: A comparative narrative review of active and non-active methods","authors":"Siqi Wang , Yanchao Li , Jiang Yu , Baoyue Zhang , Wenwen Cui , Yanjun Du , Jia Song , Huan Liu , Yongjun Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110610","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110610","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Corneal transplantation, a critical treatment for corneal blindness, depends on effective preservation of donor corneal tissue. Preservation techniques are broadly classified into active and non-active methods based on the viability of endothelial cells. Active preservation—such as hypothermic storage and organ culture—maintains endothelial cell viability and is primarily used in penetrating keratoplasty. In contrast, non-active preservation methods, including glycerol storage and freeze-drying, maintain structural integrity without preserving viable cells, making them more suitable for lamellar keratoplasty. This review provides a comprehensive comparison of different corneal preservation strategies, summarizing their key characteristics, advantages, and recent advances. A better understanding of these methods may improve transplant outcomes and optimize the use of donated corneal tissue, thereby enhancing both the success rate and availability of corneal grafts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110610"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"TL-GWO: Fine-tuned transfer learning with grey wolf optimizer for accurate fundus image-based eye disease classification","authors":"Muhammed Furkan Gül , Özlem Polat , Halit Bakır","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110598","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110598","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces an automated diagnostic framework that detects diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and healthy retinas in color fundus images. It leverages several transfer learning (TL) backbones—DenseNet121, ResNet50, ResNet101V2, InceptionResNetV2, and Xception—augmented with additional dense layers, whose architecture and key training hyperparameters are optimized by the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). To enhance image quality and improve feature visibility, Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) is applied during preprocessing, followed by data augmentation techniques such as rotations, shifts, and flips to reduce overfitting. The proposed framework systematically searches the hyperparameter space for optimal configurations, including layer depth, neuron count, activation functions, learning rate, and optimizers, eliminating the limitations of manual tuning. Experimental evaluations on the Eye Disease Image Dataset reveal that integrating GWO-driven optimization with TL significantly improves model generalization and robustness. ResNet101V2 achieved the highest performance with 89.32 % accuracy and an F1-score of 89.37 %, outperforming all other architectures across every evaluation metric. These findings demonstrate the potential of combining advanced TL strategies with metaheuristic optimization to develop reliable and scalable computer-aided diagnostic systems for ophthalmic disease detection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110598"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144919665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chong Liu , Ziqiang Liang , Jiayi Jin, Wanqi Qian, Keli Mao, Yuwei Tang, Yongxin Zheng, Liuxueying Zhong
{"title":"Melatonin alleviates retinal damage and visual function impairment by suppressing ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 signalling and inhibiting microglial activation in rats with optic nerve crush injury","authors":"Chong Liu , Ziqiang Liang , Jiayi Jin, Wanqi Qian, Keli Mao, Yuwei Tang, Yongxin Zheng, Liuxueying Zhong","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110600","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate the protective mechanism of melatonin on retinal structure and optic nerve function after optic nerve crush (ONC) in a rat model. SD rats aged 6–8 weeks were used to establish an ONC model. The rats were intraperitoneally administered with melatonin daily after ONC. Loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs)/axons was confirmed by haematoxylin & eosin staining, optical coherence tomography, and retina flat mounts. Visual evoked potentials were measured to evaluate optic nerve function. Protein expression was determined by Western blot and immunofluorescence assays, and RT-PCR was performed to assess mRNA transcription. ONC can cause an increase in ROS accumulation in the optic nerve, with elevated expression levels of Iba1, F4/80, thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), NOD like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), and cleaved caspase 1, as well as elevated transcription levels of IL-1β/IL-18. ONC can also cause structural damage to the retina, including thinning of the retina, reduction of RGCs and axons, and functional impairment of the optic nerve, including decreased N2‒P2 amplitudes, and prolonged latencies of P2. However, the intraperitoneal injection of melatonin after ONC can reduce the accumulation of ROS in the optic nerve; decrease the expression levels of Iba1, F4/80, TXNIP, NLRP3, and cleaved caspase 1; and also decrease the transcription levels of IL-1β/IL-18. Melatonin treatment also alleviates retinal damage and visual function impairment caused by ONC. These findings suggest that melatonin alleviates retinal damage and visual function impairment after ONC by suppressing the ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 signalling pathway.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110600"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spatiotemporal analysis of chick retinal waves: GABAergic regulation of wave dynamics","authors":"Abhijith Krishnan , C.S. Deepak , Anushka Sarkar , K.S. Narayan","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110593","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110593","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Retinal waves are spreading, correlated spontaneous bursts of activity, that can be used to track different stages of the developing retina. We used multi-electrode recordings to record from early (E8) to late developmental stages (P0) in the chick retina, allowing us to parametrize the retinal wave activity using burst and wave detection methods. For instance, during the early stages, the waves observed cover a sizable fraction of the recording area. At later stages of development, the waves get more localized, covering small patches of the retina. Our studies reveal that these changes in the lateral spread of wave propagation is due to the effect of the neurotransmitter Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), that is inhibitory at later stages as the system develops a hierarchical, branched architecture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110593"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144912354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Photoreceptor activation drives the expression of the immediate-early gene Egr1 in inner retinal neurons","authors":"Luca Merolla , Marijana Samardzija , Corinne Kostic , Christian Grimm","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110602","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110602","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The immediate-early gene early growth response-1 (<em>Egr1</em>) encodes a zinc finger transcription factor with diverse functions depending on tissue and stimulus, including light. In the retina, <em>Egr1</em> expression has been often reported in pathological contexts, but its physiological regulation and function remain poorly understood. Here, we used immunofluorescence and real time PCR in wild type and four mutant mouse strains with impaired rod and/or cone vision to determine the cellular origin of the signal that activates <em>Egr1</em> expression in inner retinal neurons after light onset. We show that physiological light robustly induced EGR1 expression in subsets of bipolar, amacrine, and ganglion cells in wild type mice and mice without rod but intact cone function. When cone function was impaired or lacking, induction of EGR1 expression was severely reduced but not absent, indicating that rods also contributed to signalling to downstream neurons. Only when both rod and cone function were absent did light fail to activate EGR1 expression in inner retinal neurons. Notably, Müller glia and horizontal cells lacked light-activated EGR1 expression. Our results suggest that light-induced EGR1 expression in inner retinal neurons is predominantly cone-driven. The widespread yet cell type-specific expression pattern of EGR1 in light indicates that the transcription factor may play a role in adapting inner retinal cells to environmental conditions. Our data provide the basis to further explore the molecular signalling cascades underlying light-induced EGR1 activation in inner retinal neurons and to study the significance of this response for retinal physiology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110602"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144907964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qin Dai , Qiqi Xie , Frank Schaeffel , Sisi Zheng , Qi Sun , Jinfei Wei , Bingyan Shen , Yenan Fang , Ziwei Li , Xi Chen , Xiangtian Zhou , Min Wang
{"title":"Retinal proteomic analysis reveals ON/OFF visual stimulation-specific changes in a Guinea pig myopia model","authors":"Qin Dai , Qiqi Xie , Frank Schaeffel , Sisi Zheng , Qi Sun , Jinfei Wei , Bingyan Shen , Yenan Fang , Ziwei Li , Xi Chen , Xiangtian Zhou , Min Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110599","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exer.2025.110599","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to explore the effect of artificial dynamic ON/OFF stimulation on the development of myopia and associated retinal proteomic changes in guinea pigs, and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Myopia was induced in one eye of guinea pigs using −4 diopters lenses, with the other eye used as the untreated control. 53 guinea pigs were randomly given balanced ON/OFF (natural control, NC), ON, or OFF stimulation for 7 days. The axial lengths and refractions were measured. The choroidal thickness was measured using HE-staining in 4 guinea pigs per group. The retinal proteome was analyzed by LC-MS/MS, and protein expression compared across groups. Myopic eyes exposed to ON and OFF stimulation exhibited a lower degree of myopia compared with NC myopic eyes. HE staining revealed that NC myopic eyes had a thinner choroid; there was no difference between the two eyes in the ON/OFF group. A total of 646 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were observed in the ON, OFF, and NC groups. ON/OFF-specific DEPs affected glycometabolism and RNA function. Reduced activity of the Rap1 signaling pathway was enriched in the both ON/NC DEPs. GZMK, NDFIP2, PARP12, ZC3HAV1, and ID1 were identified as common proteins that remained unaffected by visual stimulations but were implicated in myopia induction solely through negative lens exposure. The DEPs in the three groups also overlapped with proteins associated with human myopia. In conclusion, ON and OFF stimulation suppressed myopia in guinea pigs, with unique DEPs affected; the Rap1 signaling pathway may be a myopia intervention target; and DEPs common across groups are related to oxidative stress and inflammation.</div></div><div><h3>Trial registration</h3><div>wydw2023-0063/2023.3.5.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12177,"journal":{"name":"Experimental eye research","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 110599"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}