Blue light impairs cornea and corneal wound healing by downregulating VCAM1 partly

Kuangqi Chen; Le Jin; Yingying Wen; Qianjie Yang; Xiang Li; Liyue Zhang; Liyin Wang; Yutong Xia; Zhitong Chen; Chen Xie; Jianping Tong; Ye Shen

iScience (Dec 2023)

Blue light impairs cornea and corneal wound healing by downregulating VCAM1 partly

Kuangqi Chen,
Le Jin,
Yingying Wen,
Qianjie Yang,
Xiang Li,
Liyue Zhang,
Liyin Wang,
Yutong Xia,
Zhitong Chen,
Chen Xie,
Jianping Tong,
Ye Shen

Affiliations

Kuangqi Chen: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Le Jin: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Yingying Wen: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Qianjie Yang: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Xiang Li: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Liyue Zhang: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Liyin Wang: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Yutong Xia: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Zhitong Chen: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Chen Xie: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Corresponding author
Jianping Tong: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Corresponding author
Ye Shen: Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 26, no. 12
p. 108448

Abstract

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Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term pollution from different wavelengths of light on the corneal epithelium (CE) and identify potential biomarkers. Rabbits were exposed to red, green, blue, white, and environmental light for 6 weeks. The CE was assessed using various techniques such as fluorescein sodium staining, transcriptome sequencing, electron microscopy, and molecular assays. In human corneal epithelial cells (hCECs), the downregulation of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) in response to blue light (BL) pollution was observed. This downregulation of VCAM1 inhibited migration, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and apoptosis, and inhibited the AKT/p70 S6 kinase cascade in hCECs. Animal experiments confirmed that BL pollution caused similar effects on the rabbit cornea, including increased ROS production, apoptosis, delayed wound healing, and decreased VCAM1 expression. Overall, BL-induced VCAM1 downregulation may impair CE and wound healing and promote ROS and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.

Published in iScience

ISSN: 2589-0042 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.cell.com/iscience/home

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