Corneal Epithelial Abrasion with Ocular Burr As a Model for Cornea Wound Healing

Summary

This protocol describes a method to inflict an abrasion to the ocular surface of the mouse, and to follow the wound healing process thereafter. The protocol takes advantage of an ocular burr to partially remove the surface epithelium of the eye in anaesthetized mice.

Abstract

The murine cornea provides an excellent model to study wound healing. The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye, and thus is the first defense to injury. In fact, the most common type of eye injury found in clinic is a corneal abrasion. Here, we utilize an ocular burr to induce an abrasion resulting in removal of the corneal epithelium in vivo on anesthetized mice. This method allows for targeted and reproducible epithelial disruption, leaving other areas intact. In addition, we describe the visualization of the abraded epithelium with fluorescein staining and provide concrete advice on how to visualize the abraded cornea. Then, we follow the timeline of wound healing 0, 18, and 72 h after abrasion, until the wound is re-epithelialized. The epithelial abrasion model of corneal injury is ideal for studies on epithelial cell proliferation, migration and re-epithelialization of the corneal layers. However, this method is not optimal to study stromal activation during wound healing, because the ocular burr does not penetrate to the stromal cell layers. This method is also suitable for clinical applications, for example, pre-clinical test of drug effectiveness.

Introduction

Epithelial layers of numerous organs are exposed to injuries. However, they also contain the ability to compensate for tissue loss through wound healing. The cornea offers an excellent model to study wound healing. It forms the external surface of the eye and provides a protective layer for the sensitive ocular machinery. Thus, cornea functions as a physical barrier to pathogens and water loss. It is composed of three layers; epithelium, stroma and endothelium. The epithelium of the cornea makes up the outermost layer of the cornea. Epithelial cells maintain the barrier function of the cornea by adhering strictly to each other through tight junctions^....

Protocol

All experiments are approved by the national animal experiment board.

1. Preparations

1. Prepare all solutions and keep in room temperature, unless otherwise indicated. Follow waste disposal regulations to dispose used materials and solutions.
2. Use NMRI and ICR outbred stocks, between ages 4-12 weeks and either gender. If using the C57BL/6 strain, follow the ketamine-medetomidine preparation method in step 1.3.2. For other steps, follow the instructions described in 1.3.3.-1.3.5.
3. Prepare the veterinary medicine fresh and in time before starting the operation. Carprofen will be used later, thus it is not necessary....

Results

This protocol describes a model to inflict an abrasion injury to the mouse cornea and suggests how to follow and visualize the healing process after abrasion. Recently, we employed this method to study the role of corneal epithelial progenitor cells during wound healing⁶. The use of established tools is the key to a successful abrasion experiment. We, and others, have used the Algerbrush II ocular burr (Figure 1) to perform the abrasio.......

Discussion

Wounding methods are popular tools to study different aspects of corneal homeostasis and pathologies. The abrasion model offers a well-controlled method to address relevant problems in ophthalmology. However, certain critical points in the protocol are worth emphasizing. Notably, the details outlined regarding the veterinary medicine, wound healing timeline, and outcome are optimized for use with outbred NMRI and ICR stocks, but may vary among strains of mice²⁶. With this protocol, the experimenta.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
NMRI mouse	Envigo	275
0.9% NaCl			use sterile
Medetomidine	Vetmedic	Vnr087896	Market name: Cepetor Vet
Ketamine	Intervet	Vnr511485	Market name: Ketaminol Vet
Buprenorfin	Invidior	3015248	Market name: Temgesic
Atipamezol	Orion Pharma	Vnr471953	Market name: Antisedan Vet
Carprofen	Norbrook	Vnr027579	Market name: Norocarp Vet
1% fucidin acid eye ointment	Dechra	Vnr080899	Market name: Isathal
Fluorescein salt	Sigma-Aldrich	F6377
Phosphate-buffered saline solution			PBS
Algerbrush ii ocular burr (0.5 mm tip)	Algerbrush	6.39768E+11
Cobalt Blue pen light	SP Services	DE/003
Hot plate	Kunz Instruments	2007-0217
Digital SLR camera	Nikon	D80
Adjustable camera arm and clamp	Neewer	10086132	Height 28 cm
Table lamp with a flexible arm and a clamp	Prisma
Soft wipe	KimtechScience	7552
CO2 chamber
Dissection toolset	Fine Science Tools
Syringes	Beckton Dickinson	303172
26G needles	Beckton Dickinson	303800
2 mL Eppendorf tube	Sarstedt	689
Tissue casette	Sakura Finetech	4118F
Tissue processing machine ASP200S	Leica
Xylene	VWR	UN1307
Paraffin wax	Millipore	K95523361
Tissue embedding mold 32 x 25 x 6 mm	Sakura Finetech	4123
Microtome	Microm	HM355
Water bath for sectioning	Orthex	60591
Water bath for sectioning	Leica	HI1210
Microtome blade	Feather	S35
Glass slide	Th.Geyer GmbH & Co.	7,695,019
Ultrapure water	Millipore	MPGP04001	MilliQ
Paraformaldehyde	Sigma-Aldrich	158127	PFA