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Biochemistry of the Vitreous

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The Vitreous and Vitreoretinal Interface

Abstract

The chemistry and biology of the vitreous body with particular reference to the macromolecular contituents that are responsible for the structure of the tissue were discussed in detail in a previous review (1). The vitreous has several unique structural features. It contains a very dilute dispersion of macromolecules that are distributed heterogeneously and very few cells. Its primary function appears to be to allow the unimpeded transmission of light to the retina. The collagen fibers are narrow, and the primary collagen present is type II. Glycoproteins and proteoglycans are associated with the collagen fibers, and it seems likely that interactions between these constituents are involved in maintaining the gel structure of the tissue. Hyaluronate (HA), also a major constituent of the vitreous in most species, was first isolated from this tissue by Meyer and Palmer in 1934 (2). Also contained in the vitreous are soluble proteins derived mainly from the blood, but the quantities of these constituents are very low under normal circumstances. In the normal eye the vitreous appears to be a quiescent compartment with its physiology being determined by its intimate relationship with the adjacent tissues, principally the retina. There is strong circumstantial evidence that the Müller cells are involved in the synthesis of the central and posterior peripheral vitreous structural constituents. Some data suggest that the anterior vitreous may be derived from the ciliary body. The importance of the relationship between the vitreous and the retina is also apparent in the development of retinal detachment and other disease states (Chapter 6). This chapter presents biochemical data concerning the macromolecular constituents of the vitreous that have been reported since the previous review (1) and discusses the data with respect to vitreous function and its relationship to the retina.

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  1. D. A. Swann
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Eye Research Institute, Retina Associates, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Charles L. Schepens M.D. (Senior Scientist and President. Professor of Ophthalmology Emeritus) (Senior Scientist and President. Professor of Ophthalmology Emeritus)

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Charles L. Schepens M.D. (Senior Scientist and President. Professor of Ophthalmology Emeritus) (Senior Scientist and President. Professor of Ophthalmology Emeritus)

  3. Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Antwerp Medical School, Antwerp, Belgium

    Adolphe Neetens M.D., Ph.D. (Professor and Chairman, Dean of the University Hospital) (Professor and Chairman, Dean of the University Hospital)

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Swann, D.A. (1987). Biochemistry of the Vitreous. In: Schepens, C.L., Neetens, A. (eds) The Vitreous and Vitreoretinal Interface. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1901-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-1901-7_4

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