ABSTRACT: PURPOSE: Corneal thickness and curvature are reported to be influenced by hormonal changes associated with menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or menopause. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to these alterations are not clearly understood. The present study focuses on gene expression patterns (mRNA levels) in corneal tissues following surgically induced menopause in an animal model. The impact of lower hormone levels on mRNA levels in corneal tissues after pre-puberty ovariohysterectomy (OVX) was compared to that in skeletally mature adult animals. METHODS: Skeletally mature adult female rabbits were either left unoperated (control) or were subjected to OVX at 54 weeks of age using an approved protocol. The central (approximately 6 mm) and the peripheral corneal tissues were harvested from normal and OVX rabbits eight weeks after surgery. In a second study, young sexually immature rabbits at eight weeks of age were subjected to OVX and corneal tissues were collected when the animals were 22 and 32 weeks of age. In both experiments, RNA was isolated from corneal tissues and RT-PCR was used to assess mRNA levels for several relevant molecules. RESULTS: When mature animals were examined eight weeks after OVX, mRNA levels for molecules such as the estrogen receptor, decorin, collagen I, collagen V, and several growth factors were found to be significantly decreased in central corneal tissues. Interestingly, no corresponding changes in mRNA levels were observed for these same molecules in peripheral corneal tissues. When young, pre-pubertal animals were subjected to OVX, mRNA levels were found to be mainly unchanged for the OVX animals at 22 weeks of age i.e., after 14 weeks of low hormone conditions. However, significant decreases in mRNA levels for a similar subset of molecules were observed when the animals were at least 32 weeks of age, i.e., after 24 weeks of a low hormone environment. Examination of peripheral corneal tissues did not show significant changes in mRNA levels due to OVX at either 22 or 32 weeks of age except for collagens I and V at 32 weeks of age. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate significant alterations in mRNA levels in the central corneal tissues of rabbits following OVX. Interestingly, peripheral corneal tissues show very little alteration in mRNA levels for the same molecules. Furthermore, OVX had a more rapid impact on mRNA levels in mature animals than in skeletally immature animals. Thus, loss of hormone producing tissues during growth and maturation apparently delayed the impact of hormone removal compared to loss after maturity had been attained and growth stimuli are likely absent. Therefore, specific areas of the cornea are more responsive to hormone levels than others. The impact of the loss of hormones is influenced by the maturation state of the rabbit, but mRNA levels for a similar subset of genes are affected by OVX in both age groups.
