ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2025
Regulatory Effects of the Wnt7b/β-Catenin/MMP-2 Signaling Pathway on Scleral Stiffness in Guinea Pigs With Form-Deprivation Myopia.
Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Biological mechanisms of atropine in myopia control (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2026Pooled it
- Gene-Environment Interaction Loci Associated with Refractive Error: SCAMPI Analysis.Ophthalmology science · 2026Article
- Molecular and Biomechanical Changes in the Anterior Segment of High Myopic Eyes.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2026Review
- Environmental exposure to perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate in relation to myopia in adolescents: a cross-sectional NHANES study.European journal of medical research · 2026Article
- The key mechanisms and intervention strategies of cell-type-specific mitochondrial metabolism in ophthalmic diseases.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Hypoxia-induced OPN5 expression is associated with matrix-preserving responses in human scleral fibroblasts.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Canonical and emerging regulatory mechanisms of tissue remodeling: shared principles across organs and therapeutic opportunities.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Myopia development: multifactorial interplay, molecular mechanisms and possible strategies.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: The development and progression of myopia are influenced by the Wnt7b/β-catenin signaling pathway. This study investigated the specific impacts of this pathway on the biomechanical properties of the sclera by altering the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) to regulate type I collagen (collagen I) levels. Methods: We examined the effects of the Wnt7b/β-catenin signaling pathway and MMP-2 on human fetal scleral fibroblasts (HFSFs) and the sclera of guinea pigs with form-deprivation myopia (FDM). To explore the effects of the Wnt7b/β-catenin pathway and the role of MMP-2 in this context, we treated HFSFs and guinea pig sclera with specific agonists and inhibitors targeting Wnt7b/β-catenin and MMP-2. The expression levels of Wnt7b, MMP-2, and collagen I were subsequently analyzed quantitatively via western blot (WB) analysis, immunofluorescence, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to assess protein and mRNA changes in response to pathway manipulation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to measure the elastic modulus of the treated HFSFs and guinea pig sclera to directly evaluate changes in cell and tissue stiffness. In the FDM model, essential ocular parameters such as refractive error and axial length (AL) were also assessed. Results: In vivo and in vitro activation of the Wnt7b/β-catenin signaling pathway significantly upregulated MMP-2 expression, which was accompanied by a notable decrease in collagen I levels. This change led to a reduction in the elastic modulus of both HFSFs and the sclera of guinea pigs with FDM. These significant biomechanical changes in the scleral tissue were indicated by a reduction in stiffness. Alterations in scleral biomechanics were associated with changes in ocular parameters, including an increase in AL and a myopic shift in refraction. Conclusions: The Wnt7b/β-catenin pathway regulates scleral biomechanics by upregulating MMP-2 expression, which leads to increased collagen I degradation and, consequently, an increase in axial elongation and a myopic shift in refractive error.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.