The effect of vitamin C deficiency and chronic ultraviolet-B exposure on corneal ultrastructure: a preliminary investigation

SALLY HAYES; CAFARO THAMARA ANALIA; PATRYCJA J. BOGUSLAWSKA; CHRISTINA S. KAMMA-LORGER; CRAIG BOOTE; JONATHAN HARRIS; ROBERT YOUNG; JENNIFER HILLER; NICHOLAS TERRILL; KEITH M. MEEK; HORACIO M SERRA

MOLECULAR VISION

MOLECULAR VISION

Año: 2011 vol. 17 p. 3107 - 3115

1090-0535

Purpose: In the visually debilitating condition of climatic droplet keratopathy, corneal transparency is progressively lost. Although the precise cause of the disease and the mechanism by which it progresses are not known, a lifetime exposure to high solar radiation and a vitamin C–deficient diet may be involved in its development. This study examines the effect of dietary ascorbate levels and ultraviolet (UV)-B exposure on corneal stromal structure. Methods: Eight guinea pigs were divided into four treatment groups (A, B, C, and D). For 15 weeks, Groups A and C were fed an ascorbate-rich diet (2 mg/100 g bodyweight/day), while Groups B and D received an ascorbate-deficient diet (0.07 mg/100 g bodyweight/day). For the last 12 weeks of the study, Groups C and D also experienced chronic UVB exposure (0.12 J/cm2 for 40 min/day). Following euthanasia, the corneas were enucleated and their stromal ultrastructure examined using X-ray scattering and electron microscopy. Results: UVB exposure resulted in an increased corneal thickness (p