A histochemical comparison of human corneal stromal glycoconjugates with eight other species

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Abstract
Frozen sections of human, calf, rabbit, rat, cat, dog, goat, lamb, and hog corneas were stained with various lectins using an avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex to study glycoconjugates of stromal matrix. Staining of the stromal matrix and keratocytes with an α-galactose-specific lectin, Griffoma simplicifolia I (GSA-I) was species-dependent. The stromal matrices of cat, dog, and hog corneas invariably reacted intensely with this lectin, whereas those of the human, calf, rabbit, rat, and lamb did not react. A positive reaction with GSA-I could be abolished in each instance by preincubation of the sections with α-galactosidase. The stromal matrices and keratocytes of all nine species reacted positiyely with wheat germ agglutinin, concanavalin A, and Ricinus communis agglutinin but did not react with soybean agglutinin. Results of this study may help select and appropriate animal model to further investigate human corneal stromal glycoconjugates.