Complement factors C1q, C3 and C5b-9 in the posterior sclera of guinea pigs with negative lens-defocused myopia

AIM

To investigate the expression of complement factors in the posterior scleral fibroblasts of guinea pigs with negative lens-defocused myopia.

METHODS

Eighteen guinea pigs were assigned randomly to two groups: the negative lens-defocused group (NLD group, n=9) and the normal control without treatment group (NC group, n=9). The effect of myopic induction was compared in three subgroups: eyes treated with a -10.00 D negative lens in the NLD group (NL group), eyes treated with a plano (0 D) lens in the NLD group (PL group), and untreated right eyes in the NC group (NC group). The following analyses were conducted at four weeks: examination of the refractive error via retinoscopy, assessment of complement C5b-9 expression in the posterior scleral fibroblasts using immunohistochemistry, and measurements of complement C1q and C3 protein levels in the posterior sclera by Western blot.

RESULTS

After an induction period of four weeks, a significant myopic shift was detected in the eyes of the NL group, relative to that of the PL and NC groups (P<0.05). Data analysis showed a significant increase in the percentage of C5b-9 immunopositive fibroblasts in the posterior sclera of the NL group eyes, compared to the PL group (q=11.50, P<0.001). Significantly higher levels of C1q (q=4.94, P=0.01) and C3 (q=4.07, P=0.03) protein were detected in the posterior sclera of NL group eyes, compared to the PL group. There were no significant difference between the PL and NC groups for C5b-9 (q=2.44, P=0.10), C1q (q=1.55, P=0.53) and C3 (q=0.98, P=0.77) in the posterior sclera.

CONCLUSION

The data from present study provide evidence of the up-regulation of C5b-9, C1q and C3 in the posterior scleral fibroblasts in a NLD myopic animal model. The results suggest that the complement system may be involved in the development of myopia.