Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-18-2022
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus causes several detrimental effects on the ocular surface, including compromised barrier function and an increased risk of infections. The glycocalyx plays a vital role in barrier function. The present study was designed to test the effect of a high glucose level on components of glycocalyx. Stratified human corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells were exposed to a high glucose concentration for 24 and 72 h. Changes in Mucin (MUC) 1, 4, 16 expression were quantified using real-time PCR and ELISA. Rose bengal and jacalin staining were used to assess the spatial distribution of MUC16 and O-glycosylation. Changes in the gene expression of five glycosyltransferases and forty-two proteins involved in cell proliferation and the cell cycle were also quantified using PCR and a gene array. High glucose exposure did not affect the level or spatial distribution of membrane-tethered MUC 1, 4, and 16 either in the corneal or conjunctival epithelial cells. No change in gene expression in glycosyltransferases was observed, but a decrease in the gene expression of proteins involved in cell proliferation and the cell cycle was observed. A high-glucose-mediated decrease in gene expression of proteins involved in cellular proliferation of corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells may be one of the mechanisms underlying a diabetes-associated decrease in ocular surface’s glycocalyx.
Recommended Citation
Weng, J.; Trinh, S.; Lee, R.; Metwale, R.; Sharma, A. Impact of High Glucose on Ocular Surface Glycocalyx Components: Implications for Diabetes-Associated Ocular Surface Damage. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 14289. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214289
Copyright
The authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
This article was originally published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences, volume 23, in 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214289