Glycosaminoglycans of organ-cultured rabbit trabecular meshwork

The anterior segments of rabbit eyes were dissected into two types of corneoscleral explants: one a large, ring-shaped block of tissue from one eye and the other consisting of small blocks of tissue from the other eye which was dissected into 8 parts. Explants were cultured for up to 2 weeks. The glycosaminoglycan (GAG) profiles of the organ-cultured rabbit trabecular meshwork were then investigated and compared with respect to explant size. The results revealed: (1) similar trabecular GAG profiles in both sizes of explants, (2) trabecular GAG profiles obtained within the culture period came to resemble those of noncultured specimens and (3) incorporation of the radiolabels continued for up to 5 days, with 2 days sufficient for GAG analysis.