Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the severity of dry eye disease (DED) and galectin-3 concentration (gal-3) and its cleavage (gal-3C) in tear fluid. Twenty-eight DED patients and 14 controls were recruited at Keio University Hospital. The lissamine green conjunctival staining (LG) score, fluorescein corneal staining (FL) score, tear film break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer’s test, and ocular symptoms questionnaire score (dry eye questionnaire score, DEQS) were evaluated. Furthermore, the correlation between these parameters and the concentrations of gal-3 in tears (ng/µg) and the detection rate of gal-3C (%) were analyzed. Gal-3 concentration in tears was positively correlated with the LG score (R = 0.60, p < 0.01), FL score (R = 0.49, p < 0.01), and DEQS (R = 0.45, p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with the TBUT score (R = −0.40, p < 0.01) and Schirmer’s I value (R = −0.36, p < 0.01). The detection rate of gal-3C in tears was significantly associated with the severity of DED, especially with the LG (p < 0.01) and FL (p < 0.01) scores. Therefore, the concentration of gal-3 and the detection rate of gal-3C in tears had a significant relationship with the severity of ocular surface barrier disruption.
Highlights
Dry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular disorder defined as a multifactorial disease of tears and the ocular surface, which may result in symptoms of discomfort and visual disturbance [1]
Previous reports have demonstrated that the expression level of MUCs decreased on the ocular surface of patients with dry eye disease (DED), while the formation of glycosylation was altered [36]
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to reveal the association between the severity of DED and gal-3 concentration in tears
Summary
Academic Editor: Piera VersuraDry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular disorder defined as a multifactorial disease of tears and the ocular surface, which may result in symptoms of discomfort and visual disturbance [1]. Large high-molecular-weight glycosylated glycoproteins, are classified into two types: gel-forming mucins secreted by the conjunctival goblet cells and transmembrane mucins (MUCs) expressed by the stratified corneal and conjunctival epithelium, detected in the aqueous and mucin layers, respectively [6,7,8,9]. MUCs, which are composed of the core protein and glycochains, are expressed on the microplicae tips of the epithelial cells and extend up to 500 nm into the tear film [7,10,11,12]. The molecular weight of MUC16 is the largest compared to that of other mucins; it predominantly covers the ocular surface and makes a substantial contribution to the ocular surface barrier function [21]. Galectin-3 (gal-3), which is a member of the lectin family, is indispensable for the formation of this glycocalyx barrier formed by MUC16
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