Abstract
Purpose :
It is unknown whether the presence of severe ocular surface diseases affect intraocular microenvironments. In this study, we evaluated the cytokine and protein levels in the aqueous humor (AqH) of normal eyes and eyes with chronic phase ocular surface diseases.
Methods :
Among the consecutive patients who underwent corneal transplant or cataract surgery, ten patients who had chronic phase ocular surface diseases (three [G1] cicatricial pemphigoid [OCP] case, four chemical burn cases, one thermal burn case, one Stevens-Johnson syndrome [SJS) case, and one exposure keratitis case), and 33 patients who underwent cataract surgery were studied. The AqH samples were collected at the beginning of each surgery. The AqH levels of cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1α, -1β, -4, -6, -8, -10, -12p70, -13, -17a, IP-10, MCP-1, IFN-α, -γ, MIP-1α, -1β, P-selectin, E-selectin, s-ICAM, TNF-α, GM-CSF) were measured by Luminex (ProcaPlexPanel) beads-based multiplex immunoassay.
Results :
The levels of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, E-selectin, P-selectin (1059±640pg/ml[G1] , 3.50±0.82l, 254±145, 3789±840 and 16176±10071, respectively) in AqH were significantly elevated in eyes with ocular surface diseases, compared to controls (IL-6: 85.5±69.5, P=0.0001, IL-10:1.87±0.11, P=0.0022, TNF-a: 76.4±5.4, P=0.012, E-selectin: 2149±46, P=0.0005, P-selectin:2027±450, P<0.0001). The AqH protein level was significantly elevated in ocular surface diseases (0.65±0.13mg/ml), compared to controls (0.31±0.05, P=0.0072[G2] ).
Conclusions :
Ocular surface diseases seem to be associated with the elevation of specific AqH cytokines and protein levels in a chronic manner.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.