Search

PurposeWe wished to determine whether immune privilege parameters assayed in aqueous humour (AqH) are relevant to the fate of penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in humans.MethodsAqH was collected in 28 patients before PK (prospective cohort), in 6 patients with no history of graft rejection undergoing cataract surgery after PK (acceptors), in another 6 patients undergoing treatment of an acute endothelial immune reaction (rejectors), and in 65 controls undergoing uncomplicated cataract extraction. AqH was tested for total protein concentration and the ability to suppress T-cell activation.ResultsAqH protein concentrations of acceptors and rejectors post-PK were elevated (2.7±0.8 and 2.7±0.7 mg/ml, respectively) compared with pre-PK AqH level and cataract controls (1.0±0.1 mg/ml, P=0.01). All AqH samples suppressed T-cell activation, irrespective of source and timing of AqH removal.ConclusionAssays of immune privilege markers in AqH suggest that PK surgery may result in a sustained loss of integrity of the blood-aqueous barrier. Although trends were evident, values of immune privilege markers determined pre- and post-PK were not statistically significantly different between the study groups. However, further prospective studies determining additional immune privilege markers have to be conducted in order to find out whether these markers might serve as predictive parameters for immune reactions following PK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Experientia is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)