Inflammatory response of guinea pig to injected limbal tissue.

This study examined the possibility that homologous limbal tissue, including trabecular meshwork, serving as an antigen, could elicit inflammatory cells responsible for both aqueous obstruction and inflammation; the possible role of this response in ocular disease was also studied. Four sets of guinea pigs were sensitized with complete Freund's adjuvant. One set received just adjuvant and saline, one set received adjuvant plus uvea, and two sets received adjuvant plus limbal tissue. The animal injected with only adjuvant and saline all showed normal ocular histology. Sensitizing guinea pigs with limbus and adjuvant produced mononuclear infiltration of the uvea, trabeculum, and episclera. Lymphocytes and plasma cells predominated. The response induced by the limbus seemed to consist of two components: a uveal and a specific limbal component. The lymphoid infiltration of the uvea was identical to the response induced by uveal antigen in our uvea control group. The limbal component was characterized by clusters of lymphocytes and plasma cells in the trabecular and episcleral regions. This study showed that limbal tissue antigen induces an inflammatory response in both uvea and limbus, and that the inflammatory response in the trabeculum is greater with limbal than uveal antigen.