The Microbiome Modulates Corneal Wound Healing via the Induction of Cholesterol Sulfotransferase Pathway

The ocular surface is in direct contact with the external environment and is susceptible to injury from dust, dryness, or other foreign objects. Once corneal injury occurs, a local inflammatory response is triggered, followed by effective repair of the epithelial layer. In this study, we demonstrated that antibiotic treatment delayed corneal wound healing in mice. LC-MS/MS-based untargeted lipidomics and qPCR analyses revealed that the levels of cholesterol sulfate (CS) and the CS-synthesizing enzyme SULT2B1 were significantly upregulated by antibiotic treatment, and SULT2B1 knockout mice exhibited accelerated corneal wound healing along with increased recruitment of neutrophils and eosinophils. Topical application of CS delayed corneal wound healing. In vitro scratch assays revealed that CS delayed the wound healing of human corneal epithelial cells, potentially by inhibiting the DOCK2-Rac pathway. These results highlight the role of commensal bacteria in controlling corneal wound healing via the cholesterol-sulfotransferase pathway.