Ikeda Ai, Sakimoto Tohru, Shoji Jun, Sawa Mitsuru
Department of Ophthalmology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Jpn J Ophthalmol. 2005 Mar-Apr;49(2):73-8. doi: 10.1007/s10384-004-0163-y.
Defensins are antimicrobial peptides and are classified into three groups, alpha-, beta- and theta-defensins. We investigated the localization of human neutrophil peptides (HNP) 1-3, which are members of the alpha-defensin subfamily, and the expression of human beta-defensin 1 (hBD-1) and hBD-2 in the ocular surface tissues.
Corneal or conjunctival tissues were obtained from 17 patients undergoing surgery. The reasons for surgery were thermal burns (two patients), acid burn (one patient), corneal perforation (one patient), corneal abscess (one patient), and pterygium (two patients). As a control, tissue samples were collected from ten patients undergoing cataract surgery. The samples were examined for HNP 1-3 by immunohistochemical analysis, and for hBD-1 and hBD-2 by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method.
Results of staining for HNP 1-3 were positive in all of the six tested samples. The RT-PCR method detected hBD-1 mRNA in all samples. However, hBD-2 was detected in only 7 of the 17 samples. In eight of the ten normal conjunctiva samples and in the two samples from conjunctiva with thermal burn or pterygium, hBD-2 mRNA was not detected.
We concluded that HNP 1-3 and hBD-1 are constitutively expressed in the ocular surface. However, hBD-2 may or may not be expressed, depending on the stage of ocular surface diseases.
防御素是抗菌肽，分为α-、β-和θ-防御素三类。我们研究了α-防御素亚家族成员人中性粒细胞肽（HNP）1 - 3的定位，以及人β-防御素1（hBD - 1）和hBD - 2在眼表组织中的表达。
从17例接受手术的患者获取角膜或结膜组织。手术原因包括热烧伤（2例）、酸烧伤（1例）、角膜穿孔（1例）、角膜脓肿（1例）和翼状胬肉（2例）。作为对照，从10例接受白内障手术的患者收集组织样本。通过免疫组织化学分析检测样本中的HNP 1 - 3，通过逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT - PCR）方法检测hBD - 1和hBD - 2。
在所有6个检测样本中，HNP 1 - 3染色结果均为阳性。RT - PCR方法在所有样本中均检测到hBD - 1 mRNA。然而，在17个样本中仅7个检测到hBD - 2。在10个正常结膜样本中的8个以及来自热烧伤或翼状胬肉结膜的2个样本中，未检测到hBD - 2 mRNA。
我们得出结论，HNP 1 - 3和hBD - 1在眼表组成性表达。然而，hBD - 2可能表达也可能不表达，这取决于眼表疾病的阶段。
