Inhibition of P2X7 and P2Y2 purinoreceptors and its impact on cell movement
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Abstract
Type II diabetes was identified as a major cause of adult-onset blindness. Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of developing corneal complications due to abrasions, lesions, and ulcers, because of an altered wound healing. Several surgical treatment modalities can correct the complications mentioned above, including corneal transplant. However, due to impaired wound healing displayed by diabetic tissue, surgical options come with an increased risk of complication. Purinoreceptors P2X7 and P2Y2 have been implicated in cell-cell communication, migration, cytoskeletal actin rearrangement. All of these are required for wound healing. Previous studies utilized irreversible inhibitors and siRNAs to block these purinoreceptors and showed that both cell movement and wound healing were affected to a significant degree. This thesis will attempt to determine the impact of inhibiting P2X7 and P2Y2 with their respective competitive inhibitors on cell movement during the wound healing process in Human Corneal Limbal Epithelial cell cultures.