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Updated: Jun 9, 2026
A Mouse Model of the Cornea Pocket Assay for Angiogenesis Study
Published on: August 18, 2011
Spontaneous lymphatic vessel formation and regression in the murine cornea
Hui Zhang1, Xuemei Hu, Julie Tse
1Center for Eye Disease and Development, Program in Vision Science and School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Purpose:
Lymphatic dysfunctions are associated with many diseases, ranging from cancer metastasis to transplant rejection, for which there is little effective treatment. To date, there is no natural model with which to study lymphatic regression. This study was conducted to investigate whether murine cornea, an extensively exploited tissue for vascular studies, derives its lymphatic-free status from a natural regression mechanism. The differential behaviors between the lymphatic and blood vessels under normal development and inflammation conditions are also compared.
Methods:
Normal mouse eyeballs or whole-mount corneas encompassing the entire course of corneal development and maturation and adult inflamed corneas were used for immunofluorescent microscopic studies.
Results:
The data demonstrated, for the first time, that mouse cornea was endowed with a significant number of lymphatic vessels that underwent spontaneous formation and regression during a critical period after birth, which was not observed for blood vessels. Because lymphatic growth can be reactivated in the adult cornea after inflammatory stimulation, the cornea thereby becomes the first tissue ever identified to have a full range of lymphatic plasticity.
Conclusions:
These novel findings not only provide a new concept in defining the cornea and its related diseases, they also reveal a completely natural model with which to study both lymphatic regression and formation. It is hoped that further studies will divulge novel and potent pro- or anti-lymphatic factors to treat lymphatic disorders inside and outside the eye.
Insights
The mouse cornea naturally forms and regresses lymphatic vessels after birth, unlike blood vessels. This discovery provides a new model for studying lymphatic diseases and potential treatments.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Immunology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Lymphatic dysfunctions are implicated in diseases like cancer metastasis and transplant rejection, with limited treatment options.
- A natural model for studying lymphatic regression is currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the murine cornea, a common tissue for vascular research, possesses a natural mechanism for lymphatic regression.
- To compare the behavior of lymphatic and blood vessels during development and inflammation.
Main Methods:
- Immunofluorescent microscopy was employed on normal mouse eyeballs and corneas throughout development and maturation.
- Adult inflamed corneas were also analyzed to observe lymphatic vessel behavior under inflammatory conditions.
Main Results:
- The study identified significant lymphatic vessel formation and spontaneous regression in the mouse cornea post-birth, a phenomenon not observed in blood vessels.
- Lymphatic growth was reactivated in adult corneas following inflammatory stimulation, demonstrating full lymphatic plasticity.
Conclusions:
- The findings introduce the cornea as the first tissue exhibiting complete lymphatic plasticity, offering a natural model for studying lymphatic regression and formation.
- This research opens avenues for developing novel therapeutic factors to treat lymphatic disorders affecting the eye and other organs.
