Limbus Damage in Ocular Graft-versus-Host Disease

Light microscopic findings of cornea in mice with ocular GVHD. Hematoxylin and eosin staning. Original magnification ×40. (A) Shows cytoplasmic vacuolization in the basal layer of the epithelium (arrow) and stromal edema of the cornea (blue arrow). (B) A high magnification view of A shows a detail of vacuolization cells with apoptotic bodies and satellitosis of the cornea. (C) Epithelial necrosis of the cornea showing apoptotic bodies (arrow) and stromal and epithelial inflammatory infiltrate. (D) Corneal stromal vascularization (arrow), edema, and lymphomononuclear cell infiltrate.

(A) Light microscopic findings of conjunctiva with macroscopic ocular GVHD. Hematoxylin and eosin staning. This view shows an inflammatory infiltration of the conjunctiva and slight lymphomononuclear cell infiltrate of the sclera (blue arrow). A focal apoptotic bodies formations are present at the corneal epithelium, (shown as chromatin clumpings and nuclear pyknosis) (black arrow) (original magnification, ×100). (B) Caspase 3 staining confirming the presence of apoptotic bodies in the conjunctiva.

Histologic changes from esclerocorneal limbus of mouse with ocular GVHD. (A) This view shows the damage at epithelial layer, including lymphocyte exocytosis and presence of mononuclear cells at the superficial layers of the epithelium (black arrow), with pronounced lymphomonocytic and eosinophil inflammatory infiltrate with stromal edema of limbus (blue arrow) (original magnification, ×40). (B) This high magnification view (original magnification, ×100) shows a detail of vacuolization of the limbar cells (arrow).