Abstract
Purpose :
Dry eye disease is a frequent ocular surface pathology including inflammation of the lacrimal function unit and disturbances of the tearfilm. Oral as well as topical treatment with omega-3 fatty acids (O3F) has shown positive effects on dry eye. However, O3F are water insoluble, therefore have to be formulated using emulsifiers and surfactants, which might have ocular side effects.This experimental study was set up to investigate the efficacy of the topical application of O3F using a semifluorinated alkane (F6H8) as preservative-free lipophilic carrier.
Methods :
Experimental dry eye (EDE) was induced in adult 10-12 weeks old female C57BL/6 mice using a controlled environmental chamber (humidity 30 ± 5 %, constant airflow) for 14 days and treatment with s.c. scopolamine. Topical therapy was performed 3x/day (5 µl/eye) from day 11 of EDE. After 14 days mice were transferred to standard housing conditions (humidity 45-55 %, no airflow). Therapy persisted until day 35. Mice were distributed in four groups: (1) 0.2 % O3F/F6H8, (2) 1 % O3F/F6H8, (3) carrier only F6H8 (all Novaliq, Germany) and (4) artificial tear (Optive plus®, Allergan, USA). A control group (5) was left untreated and received no eye drops, but was kept under the same conditions as the therapy groups. Clinical readouts were undertaken weekly (amount of tear fluid; corneal epithelial staining) in combination with a final preparation of conjunctival tissue for counting goblet cell density at day 35.
Results :
All mice showed a significant increase in epithelial staining and decrease in tear production after 14 days of EDE. Therapeutic treatment of mice with O3F/ F6H8 showed a significantly earlier decrease of epithelial damages following EDE compared to untreated controls, F6H8 alone and artificial tears. Further the amount of tear fluid was increased after O3F/F6H8 treatment compared to untreated control by trend. Number of goblet cells was increased after O3F/F6H8 treatment compared to the other groups by trend.
Conclusions :
0.2 % and 1 % O3F in F6H8 are effective in reducing corneal staining in EDE. Compared to a treatment with artificial tears, O3F/F6H8 shows a faster therapeutic response in this study. Based on these results first clinical applications in dry eye patients are planned. O3F formulated in a lipophilic vehicle may present an improved treatment of dry eye delivering O3F directly to the lipid layer of the ocular surface.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.