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An immunohistochemical study of endothelin-1 converting enzyme in the human eye
Gregor Wollensak1, Bernd Löffler, Beate Beyermann
1University Eye Clinic Dresden, Dresden, Germany. gwollens@hotmail.com
Purpose:
The important role of ET-1 in vasoconstriction has been shown for the vasoregulation in the retina, choroid and optic nerve. ET-1 induced vaso-constriction, however, can be treated effectively at the level of endothelin-1 converting enzyme (ECE-1) by ECE-1 inhibitors because ECE-1 converts biologically almost inactive big endothelin to endothelin-1 (ET-1), the most potent vasoconstrictor known. The purpose of this study was to clarify the anatomical distribution of ECE-1 in the human eye.
Methods:
11 post-mortem eyes were fixed in 4% formalin and embedded in paraffin. 4 microm thin sections were analyzed immuno-histochemically using a self-produced monoclonal primary antibody against human ECE-1 and a polyclonal alpha-actin antibody for comparison.
Results:
ECE-1 -IR was demonstrated in the corneal epithelium, vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and in the non-vascular smooth muscle cells of the ciliary body, the dilator and sphincter muscle of the iris.
Conclusions:
A strong immunoreactivity for ECE-1 can be found in the blood vessels of the retina, optic nerve and choroid. Therefore, it should be possible to treat ET-1-induced vaso-constriction in the eye using ECE-1 inhibitors, especially in diseases like hypertensive vasculopathy, vasospasm, vaso-occlusions or low tension glaucoma.