Correlation Between a Novel Subset of Neutrophil and Corneal Neovascularization.

Cornea is an avascular transparent tissue providing refractive power for suitable optical performance. But under the condition of injury or infection, the stable microenvironment of ocular surface has been destroyed. Vessels sprout from the limbus to form corneal neovascularization, becoming an important pathological feature and leading cause of blindness. However, the underlying mechanism particular the inflammation-mediated mechanism remains unclear.

With the advancement of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), the investigation of immune cell transcriptomes has obtained great process . Using this advanced method, we identified different immune cell types in the ocular surface microenvironment in corneal neovascularization mouse model. Particularly, we found a specific subset of neutrophils played important role during the corneal angiogenesis. Using the loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiment, we clarified that this novel subset of neutrophils is the major factor that promoting corneal angiogenesis in mouse model. To further explore the relationship between this subset of neutrophils and angiogenesis in human, we plan to detect whether the neutrophil subset is increased in the circulation of chemical burned corneal neovascularization patients.

The main purpose of this study is to assess whether the novel subset of neutrophils has correlation with chemical burned corneal neovascularization. Approximately 33 patients and 33 age matched healthy controls will be recruited. The clinical characteristics, 4ml peripheral blood and the images of slit lamp photography will be obtained.