Fig. 6. CGRP preserves corneal endothelial cell density and function in vivo.

a Mouse corneas were collected on Day 14 post-injury and CGRP treatment led to preserved zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase staining, compared to the PBS-treated controls (scale = 20 μm). Analysis of immunohistochemical images showed higher endothelial cell density (b) and lower coefficient of variation (c) in vivo (n = 6 per group). d RT-PCR evaluation of mouse corneas showed higher gene expression of α1 and α3 isoforms of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase in CGRP-treated mice compared to controls (n = 3 per group). The data were presented as mean ± SEM, and the statistical significance was determined by one-way ANOVA with pairwise comparison (b–d), *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. (Legend: Black Circle = Naïve, Pink Square = PBS, Blue Triangle = CGRP).