Abstract
This study was conducted in order to elucidate the localization of SH bases as well as S-S bonds in normal and healing cornea of albino rabbits weighing about 2.0kg.
Under normal conditions, fluorescence of SH bases is detected in abundance in the cytoplasm of epithelial, stromal and endothelial cells. The fluorescence of S-S bonds is detected in the epithelial basement membrane, Descemet's membrane, and the extracellular matrix of the corneal stroma.
In healing cornea, abundant, intense fluorescence of SH bases was observed in the cytoplasm of sliding, proliferating epithelium, and detection by staining of stromal cells adjacent to the healing site gradually increased. However, the fluorescenc of S-S bonds was not noted. These results strongly suggest that wound-healing in the cornea may be dependent on the metabolism of SH basecontaining substances.
