Abstract
Tears are a constantly available and highly valuable body fluid collectable by non-invasive techniques. Although it can give information on ocular status and be used for follow-ups, tear analysis is challenging due to the low amount of sample that is available. Proximity extension assay (PEA) allows for a sensitive and scalable analysis of multiple proteins in a single run from a one-µL sample, so we applied this technique and examined the amount of 184 proteins in tears collected at different time points after trabeculectomy. The success rate of this surgical intervention highly depends on proper wound healing; therefore, information on the process is indispensable. We observed significantly higher levels of IL-6 and MMP1 at the early time points (day one, two, and four) following trabeculectomy, and the protein amounts went back to the level observed before the surgery three months after the intervention. Patients with or without complications were tested, and proteins that have roles in the immune response and wound healing could be observed with altered frequency and amounts in the cases of patients with complications. Our results highlight the importance of inflammation in wound-healing complications, and at the same time, indicate the utility of PEA in tear analysis.
Highlights
Glaucoma is a multifactorial neurodegenerative eye disease that affects millions of people and is a leading cause of blindness worldwide [1]
In order to examine the relative amount of multiple tear molecules, giving information on a novel method for ocular wound healing, Proximity extension assay (PEA) was applied for the analysis of tear proteins
Tear samples were analyzed by PEA at Olink Proteomics (Uppsala, Sweden) using the cardiovascular (CVD) II and the inflammation panels
Summary
Glaucoma is a multifactorial neurodegenerative eye disease that affects millions of people and is a leading cause of blindness worldwide [1]. The neuropathy of the optic nerve and the progressive and irreversible loss of retinal ganglion cells can be observed, resulting in the atrophy of the optic nerve and the loss of visual functions, leading to blindness [2,3]. Some minimal invasive microsurgery procedures are available, but the most widely used gold standard surgical intervention in open angle glaucoma is still filtration surgery. The latter involves trabeculectomy, which is an invasive procedure associated with a relatively high complication and failure rate [4,5]. One of the key features of the success of trabeculectomy is the wound healing, which might be impaired, making the postoperative IOP control impossible [4]
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