Human corneal keratocytes (HCK) are essential for maintaining corneal structure and transparency. This study shows that the natural antioxidant L-carnitine inhibits stromal scarring by suppressing injury-induced intrinsic transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) activity that is linked to induction of myofibroblast transdifferentiation in HCK cells. Blocking TRPV1 activation on keratocytes may therefore be a viable approach to suppress corneal opacification in a clinical setting.
- Elizabeth Turan
- Monika Valtink
- Stefan Mergler
