INVESTIGATION OF ENZYME-ACTIVITIES IN SEVERE BURNS OF THE ANTERIOR EYE SEGMENT

In severe burns of the anterior eye segment, including the cornea, lim bus and adjacent conjunctiva, ischemia resulted from the necroses. Whi le necrotic conjunctival and subconjunctival tissues may be removed to eliminate the toxic influence, the opaque cornea and ischemic sclera could not be removed. In the surrounding healthy tissues an inflammato ry reaction developed, which brought about an infiltration of the dama ged tissues by leukocytes and the release of lysosomal marker enzymes. N-Acetylglucosaminidase and cathepsin-D represent a number of other d estructive enzymes involved with corneal and corneoscleral ulceration. Initially, their activities were low in the turbid, acellular cornea and increased 3 weeks after the burn. In the surrounding conjunctiva, these enzyme activities were normally higher than in the cornea and in creased significantly after the burn. The elevated activites of N-acet ylglucosaminidase and cathepsin-D in the conjunctiva and cornea were r elated clinically to corneal and corneoscleral ulceration.