Experimental Assessment of Iris Water Content and Sex Differences in Mature Rabbits
Iris biomechanics plays a key role in primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). Soft tissue biomechanics is heavily influenced by tissue water content; therefore, accurately assessing water content is needed to describe iris biomechanics in a physiologically relevant manner. Yet, accurate experimental measurements of iris water content are rare in the literature. Therefore, our objective was to…
The study aimed to experimentally assess iris water content and explore potential sex differences in New Zealand White rabbit iris, a suitable model for studying iris biomechanics. The researchers also examined the effect of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) exposure on iris water content, commonly used to maintain hydration during soft-tissue biomechanical testing.
The results indicated that male irides had slightly higher water content (89.2% ± 2.3%) compared to female irides (87.7% ± 2.2%) (p = 0.022). However, no significant differences were found in gross iris morphology between the sexes, suggesting subtle compositional differences. Moreover, PBS incubation had a minimal effect on water content, except in female irides.
Overall, the findings revealed high iris water content in both sexes compared to adjacent ocular tissues and other soft connective tissues. These results enhance our understanding of iris composition and physiology, providing a baseline for constructing biomechanical models to assess their role in primary angle-closure glaucoma.
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