Mechanisms of corneal tissue cross-linking in response to treatment with topical riboflavin and long-wavelength ultraviolet radiation (UVA).

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Treatment of de-epithelialized human corneas with riboflavin (RF) + long-wavelength ultraviolet light (UVA; RFUVA) increases corneal stroma tensile strength significantly. RFUVA treatment retards the progression of keratoconus, perhaps by cross-linking of collagen molecules, but exact molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Research described here tested possible chemical mechanisms of cross-linking.

Methods

Corneas of rabbits and spiny dogfish sharks were de-epithelialized mechanically, subjected to various chemical pretreatments, exposed to RFUVA, and then subjected to destructive tensile stress measurements. Tensile strength was quantified with a digital force gauge to measure degree of tissue cross-linking.

Results

For both rabbit and shark corneas, RFUVA tre

SUBMITTER: McCall AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2869064 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature