Relationship between Aquaporin-1 Protein Expression and Choroidal Thickness during the Recovery of Form-deprivation Myopia in Guinea Pigs

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between aquaporin-1 (AQP-1) protein expression in the choroid and choroid thickness (CT) during the recovery of form-deprivation (FD) myopia in guinea pigs.

Materials and Methods: Seventy-two guinea pigs were randomly assigned to the normal control (NC) group, FD 21 group (animals wore a latex facemask in the right eye for 21 days to induce FD myopia) and four recovery (REC) groups. Guinea pigs in the REC groups also wore the facemask for 21 days to induce myopia; then, the facemask was removed, and the eye was re-exposed to the normal environment for 12 hours (REC ½ group), 1 day (REC 1 group), 2 days (REC 2 group), and 7 days (REC 7 group). All animals underwent biometric measurements (refraction, axial length, and CT), and the protein expression of AQP-1 in the choroid was determined using western blotting.

Results: The protein expression of AQP-1 and CT were significantly decreased in the FD 21 group as compared with those in the NC group (p = .007 and p < .001). Both AQP-1 protein expression and CT gradually increased and peaked in the REC 2 group. Additionally, there were significant differences in AQP-1 protein expression and CT between the REC 2 group and all other groups (all p < .05). We observed a complete recovery in the in REC 7 group as compared with the NC group (p > .05). AQP-1 protein expression was significantly associated with CT (p = .001) in all groups; however, there was a significant negative correlation (p = .029) between AQP-1 protein expression and axial length in the REC groups.

Conclusions: AQP-1 protein expression in the choroid was upregulated following recovery of FD myopia in guinea pigs, and these changes correlated with alterations in CT and axial length.

KEYWORDS:

• AQP-1
• choroidal thickness
• recovery
• form-deprivation myopia

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of Peng Hao MD, Bin Wu MD, Yu Chuan Wang MD, Jing Li MD, Ruifang Han MD, Xu Liang MD, Ming Ying MD at the Tianjin Eye Hospital, Nankai University Affiliated Eye Hospital, Clinical College of Ophthalmology.

Declaration of interest

Wei Chen, None; Hongyuan Zhang, None; Yue Zhang, None; Qimiao Wang, None; Yan Wang, None; Zhiwei Li, None.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Tian Jin Science Foundation of China under Grant [17JCYBJC26900].