Purpose: Pterygium is a common ocular surface disease defined by fibrovascular conjunctival growth extending onto the cornea. Its pathogenesis remains unclear. In severe cases, it may extend into the central cornea, inducing irregular corneal astigmatism and causing loss of vision. CD44( phagocytic glycoprotein-1 ) is involved in the organization of certain cellular processes, for instance, cell adhesion, division, and migration, by binding with its main ligand, hyaluronic acid. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a proliferation marker in the nucleus. E-cadherin is a calcium-dependent transmembrane glycoprotein that plays a significant role in the protection of tissue integrity and cell-to-cell adhesion. This study aimed to determine the role of CD44, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and E-cadherin in pterygium formation and recurrence.
Methods:60 patients with pterygium will be enrolled in the study and conjunctival samples will be collected from 30 patients to form the control group. CD44, PCNA and E-cadherin expressions in surgically removed pterygium will be compared with tissue samples from normal control group. IBM SPSS (statistical software) version 26.0 will be used for statistical analyses.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
60
The investigators use primary antibodies against CD44 (1:50 dilution) and E-cadherin (1:200 dilution), and a human monoclonal antibody against PCNA (1:100 dilution) for antigen retrieval. Histopathological and immunohistochemical staining findings will be reported using a Nikon light microscope and an image analysis system (Nikon Instruments Europe BV)
Hümeyra Yildirim
Balıkesir, Turkey (Türkiye)
Immunohistochemistry
Thin sections will be taken from paraffin embedded tissue samples and placed on barcode glass slides After deparaffinization and rehydration, the sections will be subjected to histopathological evaluation using hematoxylin and eosin staining.We use primary antibodies against CD44 (1:50 dilution) and E-cadherin (1:200 dilution), and a human monoclonal antibody against PCNA (1:100 dilution) for antigen retrieval
Time frame: up to three weeks after pterygium surgery
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