Biomaterial Database

Necrotic changes of choroidal melanocytes in sympathetic ophthalmia. 1988

H Inomata

Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

There are various theories as to the origin of epithelioid cells in the choroid with sympathetic ophthalmia. Some investigators propose a transformation of choroidal melanocytes as the origin, and others suggest a histiomonocytic derivation. One reason this controversy exists may be the relative lack of investigations into necrotic changes of choroidal melanocytes. The structural alterations in the choroidal melanocytes of an injured eye with sympathetic ophthalmia were studied, and the sequence of events involved in degeneration and necrotic changes were elucidated. The damaged melanocytes developed vacuolation, and the melanin granules were gathered into autophagosomes or had disappeared. The nuclei of the severely damaged melanocytes became pyknotic. Degenerated cell nuclei were phagocytized by macrophages. It is concluded that choroidal melanocytes may not transform into epithelioid cells and that they disappear from the choroid following degeneration.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008544	Melanocytes	Mammalian pigment cells that produce MELANINS, pigments found mainly in the EPIDERMIS, but also in the eyes and the hair, by a process called melanogenesis. Coloration can be altered by the number of melanocytes or the amount of pigment produced and stored in the organelles called MELANOSOMES. The large non-mammalian melanin-containing cells are called MELANOPHORES.	Melanocyte
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009336	Necrosis	The death of cells in an organ or tissue due to disease, injury or failure of the blood supply.
D009879	Ophthalmia, Sympathetic	Granulomatous uveitis which follows in one eye after a penetrating injury to the other eye; the secondarily affected eye is called the sympathizing eye, and the injured eye is called the exciting or activating eye.	Uveitis, Sympathetic,Ophthalmias, Sympathetic,Sympathetic Ophthalmia,Sympathetic Ophthalmias,Sympathetic Uveitides,Sympathetic Uveitis,Uveitides, Sympathetic
D010586	Phagocytes	Cells that can carry out the process of PHAGOCYTOSIS.	Phagocyte,Phagocytic Cell,Phagocytic Cells,Cell, Phagocytic,Cells, Phagocytic
D002829	Choroid	The thin, highly vascular membrane covering most of the posterior of the eye between the RETINA and SCLERA.	Choriocapillaris,Haller Layer,Haller's Layer,Sattler Layer,Sattler's Layer,Choroids
D005123	Eye	The organ of sight constituting a pair of globular organs made up of a three-layered roughly spherical structure specialized for receiving and responding to light.	Eyes
D005131	Eye Injuries	Damage or trauma inflicted to the eye by external means. The concept includes both surface injuries and intraocular injuries.	Injuries, Eye,Eye Injury,Injury, Eye
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man