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Corneal wound healing in spaceflight: implications of microgravity-induced molecular signaling modulations for corneal health

Eye (2024)Cite this article

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Spaceflight Associated Dry Eye Syndrome (SADES) refers to dry eye disease symptoms experienced by astronauts while in space due to the harsh conditions of spaceflight. Dry eye syndrome (DES) encompasses a variety of diseases affecting the ocular surface with tear film dysfunction and inflammation leading to symptoms of irritation, foreign body sensation, eye strain, blurry and reduced vision [1]. One facet of DES, inflammation, shares pathophysiologic mechanisms with many aspects of ocular surface health such as corneal wound healing after injury. Therefore, in this study, we apply previously studied concepts of wound healing to the cornea and discuss the changes to the cornea that may arise because of microgravity.

Inflammatory cytokines, their receptors, and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins regulate the steps of wound healing including the cornea [2]. Among the cytokines, growth factors and interleukins (ILs) are most involved [2]. Healing of the corneal epithelium can be divided into three steps; latent, migration and proliferation, and establishment of cell attachments-adhesions [2]. In the latent stage, the ECM proteins provide the framework for epithelial migration and cytokines have the supervisory role [2]. The most studied growth factors include: epidermal growth factor (EGF), keratocyte growth factor (KGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor (TGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) among other growth factors [3]. Of the listed growth factors, all excluding platelet-derived growth factor, demonstrate localized effects to the corneal epithelium wound healing process.

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Fig. 1: Wound size versus time in hours of corneal epithelium healing following injury based on mouse cornea models [24].

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Funding

Funding

This study received no funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Ryung Lee

  2. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Joshua Ong

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Ethan Waisberg

  4. Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  5. Department of Ophthalmology, Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  6. The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  7. Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  8. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  9. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  10. Texas A&M School of Medicine, Bryan, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

  11. Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

Authors
  1. Ryung Lee
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Contributions

RL was responsible for writing – original draft and reviewing and editing, data curation and investigation. JO was responsible for writing – reviewing and editing, conceptualization. EW was responsible for writing – reviewing and editing and validation. AGL was responsible for supervision and writing – reviewing and editing.

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Correspondence to Ryung Lee.

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Dr. Andrew Go Lee is one of the editors of the journal. However, he is not the one to review this manuscript. Otherwise, the author declares no conflict of interest.

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Lee, R., Ong, J., Waisberg, E. et al. Corneal wound healing in spaceflight: implications of microgravity-induced molecular signaling modulations for corneal health. Eye (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-024-03204-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-024-03204-z

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