Corneal organ cultures in tyrosinemia release chemotactic factors

Corneal inflammation with subsequent scarring and blindness occurs in the inherited human metabolic disease tyrosinemia type II, yet putative inflammatory mediators in this disorder and in the avascular cornea in general are poorly defined. In a Tyr-fed rat model of tyrosinemia type II, intracellular crystals, presumably Tyr, are hypothesized to be responsible for the increased lysosomal activity observed in corneal epithelial lesions. Because polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are seen only at the site of these lesions, we used this model to study humoral mediators released from Tyr-fed rat corneal organ cultures. Only Tyr-fed rats developed stromal edema and linear granular opacities in gray edematous corneal epithelium, compatible with a noninfectious keratitis. Electron micrographs confirmed epithelial edema and showed focal epithelial necrosis with PMN invasion of the stroma. Only Tyr-fed rat corneal culture supernatants contained chemotactic activity that was heat labile and moderately trypsin sensitive. Four peaks with varying amounts of chemotactic activity were found on Sephadex G-75 chromatography. Although the identity of these peaks of activity has not yet been established, we suggest that they may be responsible for the PMN infiltration observed in this model of corneal inflammation.