Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Minami-ku, Kasumi 1-2-3, Hiroshima, 7348551, Japan.
Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, School of Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, 2315 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
Exp Eye Res. 2018 Jan;166:49-55. doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2017.10.006. Epub 2017 Oct 10.
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a glycoprotein produced by mesenchymal cells and operates as a key molecule for tissue generation and renewal. During corneal injury, HGF is primarily secreted by stromal fibroblasts and promotes epithelial wound healing in a paracrine manner. While this mesenchymal-epithelial interaction is well characterized in various organs and the cornea, the role of HGF in corneal stromal and endothelial wound healing is understudied. In addition, HGF has been shown to play an anti-fibrotic role by inhibiting myofibroblast generation and subsequent production of a disorganized extracellular matrix and tissue fibrosis. Therefore, HGF represents a potential therapeutic tool in numerous organs in which myofibroblasts are responsible for tissue scarring. Corneal fibrosis can be a devastating sequela of injury and can result in corneal opacification and retrocorneal membrane formation leading to severe vision loss. In this article, we concisely review the available literature regarding the role of HGF in corneal wound healing. We highlight the influence of HGF on cellular behaviors in each corneal layer. Additionally, we suggest the possibility that HGF may represent a therapeutic tool for interrupting dysregulated corneal repair processes to improve patient outcomes.
肝细胞生长因子（HGF）是一种糖蛋白，由间充质细胞产生，是组织生成和更新的关键分子。在角膜损伤过程中，HGF 主要由基质成纤维细胞分泌，并以旁分泌的方式促进上皮伤口愈合。虽然这种间质-上皮相互作用在各种器官和角膜中得到了很好的描述，但 HGF 在角膜基质和内皮伤口愈合中的作用仍研究不足。此外，HGF 通过抑制肌成纤维细胞的生成以及随后无组织的细胞外基质和组织纤维化的产生，发挥抗纤维化作用。因此，HGF 代表了一种有潜力的治疗工具，可用于许多由肌成纤维细胞导致组织瘢痕的器官。角膜纤维化是损伤的一种毁灭性后遗症，可导致角膜混浊和后弹力层膜形成，导致严重的视力丧失。在本文中，我们简要回顾了有关 HGF 在角膜伤口愈合中的作用的现有文献。我们强调了 HGF 对角膜各层细胞行为的影响。此外，我们还提出了 HGF 可能代表一种治疗工具，可以中断失调的角膜修复过程，以改善患者的预后。
