Proteomic analyses of the acute tissue response for explant rabbit corneas and engineered corneal tissue models following in vitro exposure to 1540 nm laser light

Two-dimensional electrophoresis and histomorphometry were used to determine if equivalent protein changes occurred within native rabbit corneas and engineered corneal tissue models following in vitro exposure to single pulse, 1540 nm laser light operating at a pulse width of 0.8 milliseconds. Frozen sections of exposed tissues were processed to detect laser-induced protein changes. Isoelectric points, molecular weights and relative densities were used to characterize corneal proteins of interest that were then identified using MALDI-MS peptide fragment analysis. Increasing radiant exposures of corneal tissues were associated with progressively more severe necrosis of the epithelium and stroma in both the native and engineered tissues.