The Use of Conjunctival Staining to Measure Ocular Surface Inflammation in Patients With Dry Eye

This study evaluated 28 patients with Sjögren syndrome (SS) DED, 28 patients with non-SS DED, and 10 controls. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-17, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) from conjunctival epithelium was investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining. Correlations were evaluated between the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines and clinical DED parameters such as ocular surface disease index score, Schirmer I value, tear film breakup time, and corneal and conjunctival staining scores. Results: Patients with non-SS DED expressed significantly more IFN-γ, IL-6, and MMP9 genes in the conjunctival epithelium than the controls (P
Source: Cornea - Category: Opthalmology Tags: Clinical Science Source Type: research