Histol Histopathol. 2008 Dec;23(12):1477-83.
Cejková J, Ardan T, Simonová Z, Cejka C, Malec J, Dotrelová D, Brunová B.
Previous studies have described elevated lipid peroxidase, myeloperoxidase and xanthine oxidoreductase/xanthine oxidase levels on the ocular surface of patients suffering from autoimmune dry eye (Sjögren's syndrome, SS). Reactive oxygen species generated by various enzymatic systems may be dangerous to the eye if they are not sufficiently cleaved by antioxidants. Because antioxidants have not been investigated in dry eye, the aim of this study was to examine the expression of antioxidant enzymes that cleave reactive oxygen species and play a key role in antioxidant protection. Conjunctival epithelial cells of dry eye (SS) patients were obtained by the method of impression cytology using Millicell membranes. Normal eyes served as controls. In the conjunctival epithelium superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were examined immunohistochemically. The enzyme expression levels were determined by image analysis and statistical evaluation. In contrast to normal eyes, where antioxidant enzymes were highly expressed in the conjunctival epithelium, in dry eye their expression was much less pronounced in correlation with the increasing severity of dry eye symptoms. Our study suggests that the decreased expression of antioxidant enzymes in dry eye disease (SS) contributes to the development of anterior eye surface oxidative injuries.
1 comment:
Just musing here...
I have Sjogren's, and periodically I get these irritating white bumps on the edges of my corneas. An ophthalmologist looked closely, could not determine the nature of the spots, but said he saw rust-colored scarring on the cornea. Asked me if I had ever had metal in my eye! (No)
I wonder if this has any connection to losing the antioxidant protection this abstract suggests. Rust-colored spots may be just that: rust.
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