Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in primary and recurrent pterygium

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Molecular Biology
• Inflammation Research

Background:

• Pterygia are common, benign fibrovascular growths at the corneo-conjunctival junction with unknown causes.
• Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a key enzyme in the arachidonic acid pathway, known to be involved in inflammatory processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and document the immunohistochemical expression of COX-2 in primary and recurrent pterygia.
• To compare COX-2 expression levels between different pterygium types and normal tissue.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemical analysis of COX-2 expression was performed.
• Tissue samples included 21 primary pterygia, 12 recurrent pterygia, and 6 normal corneal-scleral specimens.

Main Results:

• COX-2 was significantly expressed in both primary and recurrent pterygia.
• Statistically significant differences in COX-2 expression were observed in fibroblasts, epithelium, and inflammatory cells when comparing pterygia to control tissues.
• Elevated COX-2 expression was noted in fibroblasts between primary and recurrent pterygia.

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to report COX-2 expression in primary and recurrent pterygia.
• The findings suggest that continued fibroblastic proliferation, potentially mediated by COX-2, may drive pterygium recurrence post-excision.