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Claudin-1 expressions decrease in pterygium with respect to normal conjunctiva
Aysun Sanal Dogan1, Evrim Onder2, Ata Turker Arikok2
1a Department of Ophthalmology , Ministry of Health and.
Insights
Pterygium, a conjunctival growth, shows reduced claudin-1 expression. This suggests tight junction protein loss may contribute to pterygium development, warranting further research into their role.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Medicine
Background:
- Pterygium is a fibrovascular growth of the conjunctiva onto the cornea.
- Its proliferative nature suggests a potential role for tight junction proteins in its pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression of the tight junction protein claudin-1 in pterygium tissue compared to normal conjunctiva.
- To determine if claudin-1 expression is altered in pterygium.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 28 pterygium surgery patients.
- Immunohistochemical evaluation of claudin-1 expression in both lesional and normal conjunctiva from the same eye.
- Statistical comparison of claudin-1 staining intensity and extent using the McNemar test.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in claudin-1 expression was observed in pterygium samples (10.8%) compared to normal conjunctiva (89.2%).
- The reduction in claudin-1 expression in pterygium was statistically significant (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Loss of claudin-1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of pterygium.
- Tight junction proteins may play a role in the invasive and recurrent characteristics of pterygium, requiring further investigation.
Context:
Pterygium is the fibrovascular growth of the limbal conjunctiva over cornea. This proliferative nature might have a pathogenesis associated with tight junction proteins.
Objective:
To investigate the tight junction protein claudin-1 expressions in pterygium with respect to normal conjunctiva.
Materials And Methods:
This retrospective study included 28 patients who underwent pterygium surgery with autograft. Claudin-1 expressions were immunohistochemically evaluated in normal and lesional conjunctiva of the same eye. Immunohistochemical evaluation was done with regard of both the intensity and the extent of staining. The distribution of the immunohistochemical scores in pterygium and normal conjunctiva has been compared with using McNemar test.
Results:
The mean age of the patients was 52.2 ± 11.2 years and male/female ratio was 8/20. Among 28 samples of normal conjunctiva 25 (89.2%) demonstrated a strong immunohistochemical expression with claudin-1 whereas this rate was 10.8% for pterygium samples. Statistical analysis revealed a significant decrease in claudin-1 expressions in pterygium with respect to normal conjunctiva (p < 0.001).
Discussion And Conclusions:
The loss of claudin-1 appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of pterygium and the future studies will elucidate the exact role of tight junction proteins in the invasive and recurrent nature of pterygium.
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