AUTHOR=Ju Brent , Guo Owen , Benissan-Messan Dathe Z. , Shawver McKinley H. , Chen Peng , Geng Bingchuan , Wei Siqi , Yaron Jordan R. , Lucas Alexandra R. , Zhu Hua 

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

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.649124

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.649124

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Purpose:</bold> 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.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> 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&amp;E staining were obtained. CD31 was used as marker for neovascularization.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Serp-1 facilitates corneal wound healing by reducing fibrosis and neovascularization while mitigating inflammatory cell infiltration with no noticeable harm related to its application.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> Serp-1 effectively mitigates inflammation, decreases fibrosis, and reduce neovascularization in a murine model of corneal injury without affecting other organs.</p><p><bold>Translational Relavence:</bold> Our study provides preclinical data for topical application of Serp-1 to treat corneal wounds.</p>