Effect of humidified and dry air on corneal endothelial cell during vitreal fluid-air exchange

PURPOE: To report the immediate anatomic and functional alteration in corneal endothelial cell following ue of humidified air and dry air during vitreal fluid-air exchange in rabbit. DEIGN: Experimental tudy. METHOD: Rabbit undergoing par plana vitrectomy and lenectomy were perfued with either dry or humidified air during fluid-air exchange for deignated duration. Three different experiment were performed. Firt, control and experimental cornea were examined by canning electron microcopy (EM). econd, cornea were tained with Phalloidin-FITC and examined by fluorecein microcopy. Finally, third, tranendothelial permeability for carboxyfluorecein wa determined uing a diffuion chamber. REULT: While different from the corneal endothelial cell, thoe cell expoed to humidified air were le treed than cell expoed to dry air by EM. Actin cytokeleton wa found highly diorganized with dry air expoure. Humidified air maintained the normal actin cytokeleton throughout the 20 minute of fluid-air exchange. Paracellular carboxyfluorecein leakage wa ignificantly higher in dry air inufflated eye compared with that of the humidified air after 5, 10, and 20 minute of fluid-air exchange (P = .002, P = .004, and P = .002, repectively). CONCLUION: Dry air tre during fluid-air exchange caue ignificant immediate alteration in monolayer appearance, actin cytokeleton, and barrier function of corneal endothelium in aphakic rabbit eye. Ue of humidified air largely prevent the alteration in monolayer appearance, actin cytokeleton, and barrier function of corneal endothelial cell