Figure 2
From: Phase-specific functions of macrophages determine injury-mediated corneal hem- and lymphangiogenesis
Time course of corneal macrophage infiltrate and hem- and lymphangiogenesis after suture placement. (A): After suture placement (day 0), the inflammatory macrophage infiltrate, corneal lymphatic vessels (LV) and blood vessels (BV) were monitored at indicated time points. Sutures were removed on day 14. (B–D) Quantification of total corneal area covered by macrophages, LV and BV at indicated time points. Values were compared to uninjured controls (n = 8–10 per time point). (E–P) Representative sectors of corneal whole mounts stained for F4/80 (E,H,K,N), LYVE-1 (F,I,L,O), and CD31 (G,J,M,P) at indicated time points after suture placement. Dashed line depicts the corneal limbus. Macrophage numbers in the cornea peak at day 14, when sutures are removed. The macrophage inflammatory infiltrate in suture injury is long-lasting and still significantly elevated 4 weeks after suture removal. BV and LV reach their maximum density on day 7 and day 14, respectively, and start to regress after subsequent suture removal. BV regression is considerably slower than LV regression.
