Local graft versus host reactions within the anterior chamber of the eye: the formation of corneal endothelial pocks.

Introduction into the rabbit's anterior chamber of lymphoid cells sensitized to the histocompatibility antigens of the recipient leads to the development of an intraocular graft versus host reaction. This takes the form of a more-or-less severe uveitis, and the production of small focal areas of endothelial cell destruction on the posterior surface of the cornea. In the milder responses, these present as discrete pocks on the endothelial layer, which heal rapidly. In the more severe reactions, the foci of endothelial destruction may be so numerous as to overlap, resulting in complete immunologic destruction of the entire endothelium. The dose-response relationships in this experimental system are discussed, as are its uses as a model for the study of the mechanism of endothelial damage during the course of specific corneal graft rejection.