Movement of horseradish peroxidase in the cornea, sclera and the anterior uvea

Abstract

The anterior chambers of rabbit, monkey and human eyes were perfused with horseradish peroxidase. The perfusion was started immediately after enucleation of the monkey and human eyes, while the rabbit eyes were perfused in situ after the animals had been killed. Comparative results were obtained after 1 h or perfusion and were mainly based on frozen sections. Intensive staining was found in the Descemet's membrane, the sclera and the iridial stroma, considerably more than in the corneal stroma and in the ciliary body base. In the vervet monkey and human eyes only traces of peroxidase reaction products were seen in the stroma of the ciliary body base. The movement of the protein tracer from the anterior chamber into the corneal stroma is probably dependent upon vesicular transport across the corneal endothelium. The Discemet's membrane was interpreted to be more porous than the corneal stroma. A transcorneal and a corneo-scleral movement appeared to be more efficient than the uveo-scleral one, at least in the vervet monkey and the human eyes.