Cellular Senescence in Pterygium

Purpose: To determine cellular senescence in pterygium by studying the expression of senescence-related markers. Methods: Impression cytology was performed on 28 eyes of 28 patients diagnosed with pterygium or pinguecula from August 2019 to January 2020. From the obtained specimen, the expression of senescence-associated beta galactosidase (SA-beta-gal), p16, and interleukin (IL)-1 beta was examined. Results: The average percentage of SA-beta-gal positive cells was significantly higher for the pterygium group (67.63 +/- 16.61%) compared to the control group (32.64 +/- 8.98%) (p < 0.01). The fluorescent expression intensity of IL-1 beta was higher in the pterygium group (22.53 +/- 19.21) compared to the control group (11.38 +/- 6.30) (p = 0.02), and the p16 fluorescence expression intensity was also higher in the pterygium group, showing 42.79 +/- 23.65, compared to the control group values (26.73 +/- 18.34) (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Cellular senescence specific markers, SA-beta-gal, IL-1 beta, and p16, were expressed in pterygium, indicating a new possible framework for the development and progression of pterygium.