Theoretical basis for an anomalous temperature coefficient in swelling pressure of rabbit corneal stroma

In the rabbit corneal stroma, the swelling pressure, P, has been reported to have an anomalous (negative) temperature coefficient, alpha P, contradicting traditional Donnan swelling theory. A parallel-plate, diffuse double layer Gouy-Chapman model was used to resolve this discrepancy. The present model incorporates the possibility that surface charge, sigma, is temperature dependent. It is shown that negative, zero, or positive coefficients of swelling pressure change with temperature are not mutually exclusive conditions, but can be attributed to the same underlying mechanism. For likely values of alpha P(range -7 x 10(-3) K-1 to +3.2 x 10(-3)K-1), the effective stromal charge has a negative temperature dependency, or dln sigma/dT less than 0. The present formalism is robust against variation in assumed alpha P, and is able to simultaneously satisfy the known values of swelling pressure, its thermal dependency, and stromal charge. These results implicate significant coulombic forces behind P. Predicted stromal surface charge is approximately 0.01 Cm-2. The predictions were confirmed with macrocontinuum Donnan swelling theory, suggesting that Donnan osmotic swelling is the principal macroscopic component of P.