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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Assessment of Oxidative Damage in the Primary Mouse Ocular Surface Cells/Stem Cells in Response to Ultraviolet-C UV-C Damage
Published on: February 15, 2020
Detection of dopa-positive cells in mouse ovaries in response to ocular exposure to ultraviolet B rays
Keiichi Hiramoto1, Yurika Yamate, Shosuke Kawanishi
1Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka, Japan; Department of Dermatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Background:
It is known that the levels of hormones secreted from the pituitary gland are increased by ultraviolet B (UVB) eye irradiation. The ovaries are affected by the hormones secreted from the pituitary gland. Therefore, we observed the influence of UVB eye irradiation on the ovaries.
Methods:
In this study, a 2.5 kJ/m(2) dose of UVB irradiation was delivered by a sunlamp to the eye or the ear of C57BL/6j female mice. Five days after UVB irradiation, we removed the ovaries.
Results:
The plasma levels of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and β-endorphin were increased 24 h after UVB irradiation of either the eye or the ear. The amounts of ACTH and α-MSH were decreased 5 days after UVB irradiation. However, the β-endorphin level 5 days after UVB eye irradiation did not decrease. In addition, UVB eye irradiation increased the expression of dopa-positive cells, tyrosinase, and dopa decarboxylase, and also increased the immunoreactivity of melanocortin-1 receptor in the ovaries. The dopamine content in the plasma was also increased.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that the melanin and dopamine systems of the ovary are affected by UVB eye irradiation, and the synthesized dopamine is maintained at high levels as β-endorphin.
