Abstract
Purpose:
Maqui berry [Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz ] is a plant of the Elaeocarpaceae family and cultivated in central and southern Chile.Maqui berry has a particularly high concentration of anthocyanins. Many studies conducted on the biological activities of maqui berry extract (MBE) have reported, such as antioxidant, cardioprotective, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory. In this study, we investigate the effect of MBE on lacrimal function in VDT associated dry eye using rat model.
Methods:
8-weeks-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this study. A series of treatments were performed under continuous exposure to low humidity airflow (25±5%, 2-4m/s). Rats were placed on a swing made of a plastic pipe for 7.5h/d, and for 16.5hours, they were placed in individual cages without swing treatment. This series of treatments was repeated for up to 10 days. During swing procedures, rats received orally either MBE (40mg/kg) or water (vehicle), administered once daily for 10days. Change in tear secretion and corneal surface was measured by cotton thread test and applying a fluorescein solution under a blue-free barrier filter. Lacrimal glands (LG) were subject to assessment of ROS production by using the fluorescent probe 5-(and-6)-chloromethyl-2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate acetyl ester.
Results:
A significant decreases in tear secretion were observed in vehicle group compared to initial value (p<0.001). In the MBE group, there were little changes in tear secretion compared with initial value. Changes in tear secretion were significantly suppressed in the MBE compared with vehicle (p<0.001) at day11. A significant increases in corneal fluorescein score were observed in vehicle compared initial value (p<0.001). In the MBE, slight increases in corneal fluorescein score were observed, but the differences were not significant compared with initial value. Changes in corneal fluorescein score were significantly suppressed in MBE compared with vehicle (p<0.001) at day10. The ROS production from LG was significantly suppressed in the MBE group compared to vehicle group (55.1±5.4% vs. vehicle , p<0.05).
Conclusions:
These results indicate that MBE restored dry eye symptoms by acting on the LG and may represent a very potent nutritional treatment for the prevention of dry eye.
Keywords: 618 nutritional factors •
576 lacrimal gland •
424 antioxidants