Restoration of Tear Secretion in a Murine Dry Eye Model by Oral Administration of Palmitoleic Acid.

Shigeru Nakamura,Toshihiro Imada,Erina Oonishi,Kenji Matsumoto,Hisayo Sakaguchi,Yuki Kimura,Daisuke Mori,Michiko Shibuya,Naoko Okada,Yusuke Izuta,Kazuo Tsubota

doi:10.3390/nu9040364

Abstract

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)–derived products have traditionally been used as food and medicinal ingredients in Eastern countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oral intake of sea buckthorn oil products on tear secretion using a murine dry eye model. Orally administered sea buckthorn pulp oil (not seed oil) restored aqueous tear secretion to its normal value under a dry eye condition. Palmitoleate (C16:1), a fatty acid present in sea buckthorn pulp oil, preserved tear secretion and suppressed inflammatory cytokines in the lacrimal gland to the same extent as that by pulp oil. These results suggest that an oral intake of sea buckthorn pulp oil has a potency to preserve tear secretion capacity in the dry eye state and palmitoleate, its main constituent fatty acid, is an active component of the oil. This effect may enable a potent diet-based treatment for the prevention of dry eye.

Highlights

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a deciduous splinter shrub plant of the Elaeagnaceae family with yellow or orange berries, which is widely grown in the central and northern areas of Eurasia including Russia, China, Mongolia, France, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Norway [1]
This study suggested that sea buckthorn oil products have the potential to improve the secretory function of tears in dry eyes
The content and composition of the fatty acids in sea buckthorn oil has been reported to vary based on the origin of its production [11]

Summary

Introduction

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a deciduous splinter shrub plant of the Elaeagnaceae family with yellow or orange berries, which is widely grown in the central and northern areas of Eurasia including Russia, China, Mongolia, France, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Norway [1]. It has traditionally been used for nutritional and medicinal purposes in various countries. The pulp of its berries contains abundant vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and polyphenolic compounds, which have been reported to contribute to human health benefits [5]. Dried or fresh leaves are prepared for nutritious herbal tea as they are rich in nutraceutical components [7]

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