Oxygen consumption by the component layers of the cornea

1. The structural integrity of the cornea is maintained by an active fluid transport system which depends on metabolism. Experiments were designed to establish the respiratory activity of each corneal layer.2. A rapid micropolarographic technique was used to determine the oxygen consumptions of the individual layers of the rabbit cornea.3. Inherent problems of the determinations have been made minimal by the use of both denuded and whole corneal tissue preparations. Four independent measures were obtained for each limiting layer (epithelium and endothelium).4. Results show that the endothelium, epithelium and stroma use 21, 40 and 39% respectively of the total oxygen consumption of the cornea. On the basis of volumes of oxygen per unit volume tissue, epithelial oxygen utilization is about ten times that of the stroma and approximately 0.2 that of the endothelium.5. The endothelium has a larger oxygen uptake than previously reported.6. The present results, in conjunction with other studies, indicate that the ratio of glycolytic to oxidative activity in the rabbit cornea is 0.87:0.13.