An Initial Assessment of Rabbit Cornea as a Biomarker of Trace-Element Load in Commercial Animal Production

Background/Objectives: Assessing trace-element status is fundamental for maintaining health across species. However, serum primarily reflects acute physiological variability rather than chronic exposure. Thus, we investigate the cornea as a possible stable, practical alternative for assessing chronic copper and iron accumulation in rabbit’s cornea. Methods: A group of laboratory rabbits was housed under standardized husbandry conditions with comparable environmental and dietary backgrounds for trace-element intake. After completion of the experimental phase, corneal tissues were collected and subjected to quantitative elemental analysis using validated spectrometric procedures. In parallel, the structural integrity of the cornea was evaluated with standard histological techniques to determine whether elevated trace-element levels were associated with detectable morphological alterations. Results: Copper and iron concentrations showed approximately normal distributions, with mean values of 0.93 ± 0.46 μg/g and 0.78 ± 0.32 μg/g. All elemental concentrations were calculated relative to the original (native) wet tissue weight. Several samples exhibited elevated levels of both elements. Importantly, even in the samples with the highest copper and iron concentrations, no histological abnormalities were observed. Epithelial layers were intact, stromal collagen was well organized, and no inflammation or edema was observed. Conclusions: Overall, the cornea contained measurable copper and iron levels, and higher concentrations were not associated with morphological disruption under the trace-element conditions studied. Because ocular tissues are not used in food processing and can be collected in a standardized way during slaughter, the cornea offers a practical matrix for post-mortem monitoring of trace-element load in commercial animal production.