Mongolian Gerbils as an Animal Model of Wound Healing

Summary

This article describes a new animal model developed to study the anatomy and histology of the cornea and its healing processes. This new animal model uses the Mongolian gerbil, which has a cornea with many similarities to the human cornea.

Abstract

Corneal wound healing studies have been conducted for a long time and have helped to reduce suffering and develop treatments that contribute to improving patients' eye health. Historically, corneal healing has been studied in rodents such as mice and rats, but these models might not completely mimic human disorders. However, information on other rodents such as Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) is scant in corneal research.

Here, we describe a technique to develop a novel animal model for studying corneal healing after photorefractive keratectomy. Due to the limited literature available on the cornea of M. unguiculatus, we also describe a histological analysis of the normal cornea. These research techniques can also be employed in the study of eye diseases because of the similarity between the corneas of Mongolian gerbils and humans in terms of genetics, anatomy, and physiology.

Introduction

Some of the most important aspects of corneal wound healing, which are key concerns for anterior segment surgery, are the integrity of the epithelial architecture, the maintenance of the corneal stroma transparency, and, finally, the outcome in terms of the refractive properties of the cornea¹.

The cornea is the outermost clear tissue at the front of the eyeball and is, therefore, susceptible to trauma, infections, and burns; the impaired healing of these wounds can compromise visual health².

At present, several animal models are available to study corneal healing, ....

Protocol

All research procedures were approved by the "Institutional Commission for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" of Universidad Católica de Córdoba and followed the National Research Council Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals. These procedures were also approved by the authorities of the "Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud" of Universidad Católica de Córdoba and "Instituto de la Visión Cerro".

1. Gerbil handling and anesthesia

NOTE: All animals were specific pathogen-free(SFP) male Mongolian gerbils and were kept in the Center for Resea....

Results

In the present study, the entire corneal structure was thoroughly analyzed using histological techniques and complementary studies of the anterior segment, such as optical coherence tomography. The image analysis using optical coherence tomography of the anterior segment structures shows a normal epithelium and stroma (Figure 1), with central and peripheral corneal thicknesses of 160 µm and 106 µm ± 2 µm, respectively. Other publications have also shown that the cornea of other rodents becom.......

Discussion

The physiology of corneal wound healing is a balance between tissue regeneration and the maintenance of homeostasis. Excessive wound healing may lead to fibrosis and scarring, which ultimately may result in the loss of organ function. With the rapid evolution of corneal surgical procedures, the importance of understanding corneal wound healing and the physiological and pathological events involved cannot be overestimated¹¹.

Multiple research works claim that gerbils ha.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Anesthesia	Tododrogas
Eppendorf tubes	Tododrogas
Excimer Laser	Technolas	2022445
Fluorescein	Poen
Forceps	Ofcor	3339
Formaldehyde	Tododrogas
Gloves	Tododrogas
Ketamine	Sigma-Aldrich
Optical coherence tomography	Optovue	659007
Proparacaine	Poen
Scisors	Ofcor	3336
Sterile drapes	Soporte hospitalario
Sterile gauzes	Soporte hospitalario
Syringes and needles	Tododrogas
Xylazine	Sigma-Aldrich