Abstract
Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) may aggravate dry eye disease (DED). Corni Fructus (CF), which is fruit of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc., has been reported to have various beneficial pharmacological effects, whereas the effect of CF on the eye is still unknown. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of oral administration of water extract of CF (CFW) on the eye, hematology, and biochemistry in a DED model induced by topical exposure to PM2.5. Furthermore, the efficacy of CFW compared with cyclosporine (CsA), an anti-inflammatory agent, and lutein, the posterior eye-protective agent. Sprague-Dawley rats were topically administered 5 mg/mL PM2.5 in both eyes four times daily for 14 days. During the same period, CFW (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) and lutein (4.1 mg/kg) were orally administered once a day. All eyes of rats in the 0.05% cyclosporine A (CsA)-treated group were topically exposed to 20 μL of CsA, twice daily for 14 days. Oral administration of CFW attenuated the PM2.5-induced reduction of tear secretion and corneal epithelial damage. In addition, CFW protected against goblet cell loss in conjunctiva and overexpression of inflammatory factors in the lacrimal gland following topical exposure to PM2.5. Furthermore, CFW markedly prevented PM2.5-induced ganglion cell loss and recovered the thickness of inner plexiform layer. Meanwhile, CFW treatment decreased the levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in serum induced by PM2.5. Importantly, the efficacy of CFW was superior or similar to that of CsA and lutein. Taken together, oral administration of CFW may have protective effects against PM2.5-induced DED symptoms via stabilization of the tear film and suppression of inflammation. Furthermore, CFW may in part contribute to improving retinal function and lipid metabolism disorder.
Highlights
Air pollution is a serious health issue and consists of thousands of solid particles, gases, and liquid droplets [1]
We evaluated the efficacy of CFW compared with lutein and cyclosporine A (CsA)
We investigated the effect of oral administration of CFW on the changes of the eyes, as well as on the hematology and biochemistry in a dry eye disease (DED) model induced by topical exposure to PM2.5
Summary
Air pollution is a serious health issue and consists of thousands of solid particles, gases, and liquid droplets [1]. Among the various biologically toxic substances of air pollutants, particulate matter 2.5 is considered the most important harmful substrate of health threat [2]. DED is a multifactorial disease of the ocular surface that involves tear film instability, hyperosmolarity, inflammation, and damage to the ocular surface [8,9]. Some studies have reported that people with exposure to severe air pollution often experienced symptoms of DED [6,10,11]. Air pollution is closely linked to pathogenesis of the ocular system, studies on the harmful effect of PM2.5 on the eye and the development of a therapeutic agent are still in the early stage
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