Fig. 5

Corneal damage and apoptosis caused by montmorillonites (Mts) in vivo. A Representative photos of the anterior ocular segment of rat eyes treated with different concentrations (2 and 10 mg/mL) of Na-Mt or C-H-Na-Mt. B Representative images of corneal injury, under cobalt blue light, incurred after exposure to different concentrations (2 and 10 mg/mL) of Na-Mt or C-H-Na-Mt were detected by fluorescein sodium staining. The extent of corneal damage is indicated by the green fluorescence area. White arrowheads point to damage of the cornea. C Statistical analysis of the corneal damage area of green fluorescence at 7 days following exposure to different concentrations (2 and 10 mg/mL) of Na-Mt or C-H-Na-Mt. D Representative images of immunofluorescence of rat cornea for TUNEL (red) and DAPI (blue). The left eye of rats was dripped with Na-Mt or C-H-Na-Mt. At 7 days post-exposure, corneal sections were prepared for fluorescence microscopy for their analysis by the TUNEL assay. E The number of TUNEL⁺ cells of corneal sections treated with Na-Mt versus C-H-Na-Mt. Data are presented as the mean ± SD. *p < 0.05 compared with the control. Scale bars: 50 μm