Zhang Ran, Li Bo, Li Heng
Department of Ophthalmology & Optometry, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan, China.
Department of Ophthalmology, Central Hospital of Suining City, Suining 629000, Sichuan, China.
J Ophthalmol. 2023 Jul 22;2023:7626920. doi: 10.1155/2023/7626920. eCollection 2023.
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a noncellular structure that plays an indispensable role in a series of cell life activities. Accumulating studies have demonstrated that ECM stiffness, a type of mechanical forces, exerts a pivotal influence on regulating organogenesis, tissue homeostasis, and the occurrence and development of miscellaneous diseases. Nevertheless, the role of ECM stiffness in ophthalmology is rarely discussed. In this review, we focus on describing the important role of ECM stiffness and its composition in multiple ocular structures (including cornea, retina, optic nerve, trabecular reticulum, and vitreous) from a new perspective. The abnormal changes in ECM can trigger physiological and pathological activities of the eye, suggesting that compared with different biochemical factors, the transmission and transduction of force signals triggered by mechanical cues such as ECM stiffness are also universal in different ocular cells. We expect that targeting ECM as a therapeutic approach or designing advanced ECM-based technologies will have a broader application prospect in ophthalmology.
细胞外基质（ECM）是一种非细胞结构，在一系列细胞生命活动中发挥着不可或缺的作用。越来越多的研究表明，ECM硬度作为一种机械力，对调节器官发生、组织稳态以及各种疾病的发生和发展具有关键影响。然而，ECM硬度在眼科中的作用很少被讨论。在这篇综述中，我们从一个新的视角着重描述ECM硬度及其组成在多种眼部结构（包括角膜、视网膜、视神经、小梁网和玻璃体）中的重要作用。ECM的异常变化可引发眼睛的生理和病理活动，这表明与不同的生化因素相比，由ECM硬度等机械信号触发的力信号的传递和转导在不同的眼部细胞中也是普遍存在的。我们期望将ECM作为一种治疗方法或设计先进的基于ECM的技术在眼科中具有更广阔的应用前景。
