Molecular mechanism of hypoxia and alpha-ketoglutaric acid on collagen expression in scleral fibroblasts.

Aim: To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the influence of hypoxia and alpha-ketoglutaric acid (α-KG) on scleral collagen expression.

Methods: Meta-analysis and clinical statistics were used to prove the changes in choroidal thickness (ChT) during myopia. The establishment of a hypoxic myopia model (HYP) for rabbit scleral fibroblasts through hypoxic culture and the effects of hypoxia and α-KG on collagen expression were demonstrated by Sirius red staining. Transcriptome analysis was used to verify the genes and pathways that hypoxia and α-KG affect collagen expression. Finally, real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used for reverse verification.

Results: Meta-analysis results aligned with clinical statistics, revealing a thinning of ChT, leading to scleral hypoxia. Sirius red staining indicated lower collagen expression in the HYP group and higher collagen expression in the HYP+α-KG group, showed that hypoxia reduced collagen expression in scleral fibroblasts, while α-KG can elevated collagen expression under HYP conditions. Transcriptome analysis unveiled the related genes and signaling pathways of hypoxia and α-KG affect scleral collagen expression and the results were verified by RT-qPCR.

Conclusion: The potential molecular mechanisms through which hypoxia and α-KG influencing myopia is unraveled and three novel genes TLCD4, TBC1D4, and EPHX3 are identified. These findings provide a new perspective on the prevention and treatment of myopia via regulating collagen expression.