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Water gradients across bovine cornea
J A Castoro1, A A Bettelheim, F A Bettelheim
1Chemistry Department, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York 11530.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
|June 1, 1988
Summary
Water content in bovine corneas changes with depth. Freezable water increases from epithelium to endothelium, while bound water decreases, correlating with proteoglycan distribution.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biophysics
- Corneal Science
Background:
- The cornea's hydration is crucial for its optical properties.
- Understanding water distribution within corneal layers is essential for explaining its function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the distribution of total, freezable, and non-freezable water across bovine corneal layers.
- To correlate water content variations with proteoglycan distribution.
Main Methods:
- Bovine corneas (30 micron thick) were sectioned perpendicular to the visual axis.
- Thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine total water content.
- Differential scanning calorimetry measured freezable water content.
Main Results:
- Total water content increased from the epithelium to the endothelium.
- Freezable water content showed a similar increase across corneal layers.
- Bound (non-freezable) water content decreased from epithelium to endothelium.
Conclusions:
- Water distribution is not uniform across the bovine cornea.
- The observed water gradients correlate with the distribution of proteoglycans.
- Proteoglycans likely play a key role in the cornea's water sorptive and retentive capacity.