Serp-1 Promotes Corneal Wound Healing by Facilitating Re-epithelialization and Inhibiting Fibrosis and Angiogenesis

• Main Authors: Brent Ju, Owen Guo, Dathe Z. Benissan-Messan, McKinley H. Shawver, Peng Chen, Bingchuan Geng, Siqi Wei, Jordan R. Yaron, Alexandra R. Lucas, Hua Zhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-06-01
• Series: Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
• Subjects: corneal injury; neovascularization; Serp-1; PAI-1; corneal wound repair
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.649124/full

Purpose: Chemical corneal injuries carry a high morbidity and commonly lead to visual impairment. Here, we investigate the role of Serp-1, a serine protease inhibitor, in corneal wound healing.Methods: An alkaline-induced corneal injury was induced in 14 mice. Following injury, five mice received daily topical saline application while nine mice received Serp-1 100 μL topically combined with a daily subcutaneous injection of 100 ng/gram body weight of Serp-1. Corneal damage was monitored daily through fluorescein staining and imaging. Cross sectional corneal H&E staining were obtained. CD31 was used as marker for neovascularization.Results: Serp-1 facilitates corneal wound healing by reducing fibrosis and neovascularization while mitigating inflammatory cell infiltration with no noticeable harm related to its application.Conclusions: Serp-1 effectively mitigates inflammation, decreases fibrosis, and reduce neovascularization in a murine model of corneal injury without affecting other organs.Translational Relavence: Our study provides preclinical data for topical application of Serp-1 to treat corneal wounds.