Baddeley, Susan Maureen (1994) Cellular mechanisms in allergic eye disease. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Abstract
This investigation looks at the cellular make-up of normal, acute and chronic conjunctiva with particular reference to the role of the mast cell. Conjunctival biopsies were taken from the upper tarsal plate and bulbar conjunctiva,
Inflammatory cells were found to be present in the tissues in varying numbers, distribution and location. Eosinophils are not normally found in normals but in this study a few subjects were found to have them in the substantia propria, the reason for this is unknown. There was an increase of eosinophils, neutrophils, T and B cells in the diseased groups. The mast cell showed the greatest changes and were implicated in all of the diseases. No mast cells were found in normal bulbar and tarsal epithelium, although there was a migration of mast cells observed in the epithelium of the diseased groups. The median numbers of mast cells in normal bulbar substantia propria were 17mm-2 and 9mm-2 in tarsal substantia propria. There was a significant increase in mast cells found in the bulbar substantia propria of SAC, AKC, ABC and VKC when compared against normals. A significant increase of mast cells was also found in the tarsal substantia propria of ABC and VKC compared to normal subjects. Mast cells were seen to express a range of proteases which varied according to their anatomic site. Mast cells in connective tissue are described as containing tryptase, chymase, cathepsin -G and carboxypeptidase-A (MCTC), whereas mucosal mast cells contain only tryptase (MCT). In situ hybridisation using oligonucleotide probes for tryptase and chymase has shown neutral protease transcription in bulbar conjunctiva and nasal biopsies. In the diseased conjunctiva a marked reduction in proteases other than tryptase in the intraepithelial mast cells was observed.
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