ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the influence of long-term wear of soft contact lenses on corneal transparency.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted.The corneal optical density of female myopic patients who planned to undergo corneal refractive surgery in Jinan Mingshui Eye Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 was examined.The patients were divided into ≥2-<5 years group, ≥5-<10 years group, and ≥10 years group according to the duration of wearing contact lenses.Age- and sex-matched patients without wearing soft contact lenses were enrolled as a control group.There were 50 eyes from 50 cases in each group.The cornea was divided into 0-2, 2-6, 6-10, and 10-12 mm corneal vertex-centered annuli.The cornea over each annulus was divided into a superficial layer (≤120 μm from the outer surface of the cornea), a deep layer (≤60 μm from the inner surface of the cornea) and a central layer (between the superficial and deep layers). Measurements of the right eye were taken for analysis.The corneal optical density of different layers over different corneal ring regions was compared.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Jinan Mingshui Eye Hospital (No.2018-005). Written informed consent was obtained from each subject before any medical examination.Results:The corneal optical density tended to decrease as the wearing duration of corneal contact lens extended.The corneal optical density values of control group, ≥2-<5 years group, ≥5-<10 years group, and ≥10 years group were 18.51±1.79, 18.25±2.10, 18.16±1.89 and 17.83±1.65, respectively, showing no significant difference ( F=1.152, P=0.329). There was no significant difference in the corneal optical density of the superficial layer over 0-2, 2-6, and 6-10 mm annuli among the four groups ( F=2.077, 2.080, 2.229; all at P>0.05). There was a significant difference in the corneal optical density of the superficial layer over 10-12 mm annulus among the four groups ( F=5.016, P=0.002), and the corneal optical density of the superficial layer was greater in ≥5-<10 years group than in ≥2-<5 years, and greater in ≥10 years group than in control group, showing statistically significant differences (both at P<0.05). There were significant differences in the corneal optical density of the central layer over 0-2 and 6-10 mm annuli ( F=3.808, 2.813; both at P<0.05), and the corneal optical density of the central layer was lower in ≥10 years group than in control group, showing a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in the corneal optical density of the deep layer over 0-2, 2-6, 6-10 and 10-12 mm annuli ( F=5.485, 5.625, 3.398, 2.775; all at P<0.05). The optical density of the deep layer was lower in ≥5-<10 years than in control and ≥2-<5 years groups over 0-2, 2-6, and 10-12 mm annuli, lower in ≥5-<10 years group than in control group over the 6-10 annulus, and lower in ≥10 years group than in control group over 0-2, 2-6, and 6-10 mm annuli, and the differences were statistically significant (all at P<0.05). Conclusions:For women, the long-term wear of soft contact lenses for 5 years does not affect corneal transparency, and long-term wear for more than 5 years can cause a decrease in the transparency of the superficial peripheral cornea.
ABSTRACT
Platycodon grandiflorus polysaccharide (PGP) is one of the main components of P. grandiflorus, but the mechanism of its anti-inflammatory effect has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of PGP on mice with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) and explore the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that PGP treatment inhibited the weight loss of DSS-induced UC mice, increased colon length, and reduced DAI, spleen index, and pathological damage within the colon. PGP also reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibited the enhancement of oxidative stress and MPO activity. Meanwhile, PGP restored the levels of Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cell-related cytokines and transcription factors in the colon to regulate colonic immunity. Further studies revealed that PGP regulated the balance of colonic immune cells through mesenteric lymphatic circulation. Taken together, PGP exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effect and regulates colonic immunity to attenuate DSS-induced UC through mesenteric lymphatic circulation.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Colitis, Ulcerative/drug therapy , Platycodon , Colon/pathology , Cytokines , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use , Polysaccharides/therapeutic use , Dextran Sulfate , Disease Models, Animal , Colitis/chemically induced , Mice, Inbred C57BLABSTRACT
Background Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine involving in inflammation and wound healing.Previous report found that IL-6 increases phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) level and promotes corneal epithelial wound healing by stimulating migration.However,the essential role of IL-6 in corneal epithelial wound healing and the expression changes in diabetic mellitus remains unknown.Objective This study was to explore the roles of IL-6 in corneal epithelial proliferation and wound healing in both normal and diabetic mice.Methods Fifty-two normal C57BL/6 mice were randomized into normal control group (32 mice) and diabetic group (20 mice).Type 1 diabetic mellitus was induced by intraperitoneal injections of 50 mg/kg streptozotocin once per day for consecutive 5 days in the mice of the diabetic group.Whole corneal epithelium was scraped in all mice,and the corneal epithelial defect area was examined by fluorescein staining in 24,48 and 72 hours after corneal epithelium removal.Recombinant mouse IL-6 or anti-IL-6 blocking antibody of 5 μl were subconjunctivally injected according to the grouping and contrasted with PBS injection group or isotype control antibody group,respectively.TKE2 cells,a mouse corneal epithelial stem/progenitor cell line,were trypsinized and incubated in the KSFM with different concentrations of IL-6 or without IL-6,and colony formation efficency (CFE) was examined by crystal violet staining.The expressions of △NP63 and Ki67,specific makers of stem cells,were detected by immunofluorescine technology.The expressions of △NP63,Ki67 and p-STAT3 proteins were assayed in the cells by Western blot,respectively.The expression of IL-6 mRNA and protein in the regenerated corneal epithelium was detected by real time quantitative PCR and ELISA.The use and care of the mice complied with the Statement of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.Results The percentage of residual corneal epithelium defect area with initial detect area was gradually shrinked over time after PBS and IL-6 injection in both normal control mice and diabetic mice,and the percentage of residual corneal epithelium defect area was significantly reduced in the IL-6 injected group compared with the PBS injected group (normal control group:Fgroup =19.982,P ＜ 0.01;Ftime =589.350,P ＜ 0.01;Diabetic group:Fgroup =25.411,P＜0.01;Ftime =334.807,P＜0.01).The CFE was (13.23± 1.12)％,(15.87± 1.30)％,(21.69±1.62)％,(25.33±1.28)％ and (18.67±1.54)％ in the blank control group and 10,20,50,100 ng/ml IL-6-treated groups,respectively,showing a gradual increase of CFE dependent upon IL-6 concetrations (F =35.547,P＜0.01).The expressions of △NP63,Ki67,p-STAT3 proteins in the cells were gradually increased over time after 50 ng/ml IL-6 treated for 5,10,15,30 and 60 minutes,and the relative expression level of the cytokines was significnatly higher in the IL-6 cultured groups than that without IL-6 culture group (all at P＜0.05).The relative expression of IL-6 mRNA in the regenerated corneal epithelilum was 0.45±0.21 and 1.00±0.16 in the diabetic group and normal control group,respectively,and compared with the normal control group,the expression of IL-6 mRNA reduced by 56％ (t=3.42,P=0.03).The content of IL-6 protein in regenerated corneal epithelium of the diabetic group was (257±12) ng/μl,which was significantly lower than (323 ± 17) ng/μl of the normal control group (t =5.60,P＜0.01).Conclusions IL-6 promotes the proliferation and regeneration of corneal limbal stem cells to repair defected corneal epithelium by activating STAT3 signaling pathway in both normal and diabetic mice,while the blocking of endogenous IL-6 impairs the corneal epithelial cell activation and wound healing.