Jp. Petrali et al., Acute ocular effects of mustard gas: Ultrastructural pathology and immunohistopathology of exposed rabbit cornea, J APPL TOX, 21, 2000, pp. S173-S175
Whole-body exposure to sulfur mustard (HD) produces cutaneous, respiratory
and ocular impairment. Of these, ocular damage causes the most immediate in
capacitation. Heretofore, characterization of Ho ocular toxicity has been l
argely Limited to gross and histological observations. In the present study
we explore histological, ultrastructural and immunopathological acute effe
cts of HD ocular exposure and establish correlations with HD toxicity data
already documented for dermal exposure. Anesthetized rabbits were exposed t
o 0.4 mul of liquid HD placed directly on the cornea, Animals were euthaniz
ed at 6, 9 and 24 h post-exposure and the eyes were enucleated and processe
d for histopathology, ultrastructural and immunoperoxidase study. At 6 and
9 h, the most prominent histological feature was nuclear pyknosis, necrosis
and loss of polarity of corneal epithelial basal cells to the exclusion of
other epithelial cells. At 24 h, all corneal epithelial cells presented de
generative changes, with the epithelium eventually detaching from the under
lying basement membrane at the level of the lamina lucida, Microblisters, a
characteristic HD-induced skin pathology of the basement membrane zone of
animals, were absent in this corneal study, Edema, degenerating fibroblasts
and inflammatory cellular infiltrates were persistent stromal responses. I
mmunopathological effects included changes in antigenicity of bullous pemph
igoid protein, laminin, desmosomal protein, Ki67 and p53. These morphologic
al and immunopathological effects of corneal exposure to HD appear to be la
rgely consistent with that previously reported for dermal exposures, perhap
s providing shared anatomical considerations for the development of specifi
c HD prophylaxis and therapy. Published in 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.