Título

Immunohistochemical study of the lens anterior capsule in systemic sclerosis

Introdução

Purpose: To analyse anterior lens capsule specimens from both eyes of a patient with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and compare to the ones of a control patient 

Método

A 69 year old female patient with SSc for 5 years and a healthy female of the same age with comparable degree of opacification in all lens layers were submitted to cataract surgery by the same surgeon with the same technique. Expression of heparanase 1, vimentin and agrin were investigated under confocal laser microscopy.

Resultados

Confocal laser scanning immunohistochemical stainings of heparanase, vimentin and argin were overexpressed in SSc samples compared to control.

Conclusões

We preliminarily conclude that anterior lens capsule in systemic sclerosis is probably affected by the disease. More studies are needed to confirm these findings.