Sullivan D A, Hann L E, Yee L, Allansmith M R
Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh). 1990 Apr;68(2):188-94. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.1990.tb01902.x.
Previous research has demonstrated that distinct, gender-related differences exist in lacrimal glands in a variety of adult species. The objective of the current investigation was to examine whether this influence of gender extends throughout development and aging. Towards that end, morphological parameters of the lacrimal gland, as well as the volume, protein and IgG content of tears, were measured in male and female infant, preweanling, pubertal, adult, mid-life and senescent rats. Our results showed that dramatic, age-related variations occurred in the weight and morphological appearance of the lacrimal gland. Moreover, the magnitude of structural changes was dependent upon gender. Acinar area was significantly greater in lacrimal tissue of males, as compared to females, at all ages except pre-weanling; this sexual dimorphism was most evident in senescent rats. In contrast, acinar density in lacrimal glands of females was higher than, or equal to, that of males throughout development and aging. With regard to tears, pronounced increases were evident in tear volume, protein and IgG content from the pre-weanling stage to adulthood. After this time, these tear indices tended either to plateau or rise slightly until senescence. Gender had little or no impact of the volume of, or protein and IgG level in, tears. Of interest, the IgG/protein ratio in tears was 49- to 105-fold less than that found in lacrimal tissue, indicating that IgG moves down a gradient from the lacrimal gland to tears. Overall, our findings demonstrate that gender has a significant influence on lacrimal gland structure during development and aging. However, this impact is limited with respect to tear volume and protein content.
先前的研究表明，在多种成年物种的泪腺中存在明显的、与性别相关的差异。当前研究的目的是检验这种性别的影响是否贯穿整个发育和衰老过程。为此，我们测量了雄性和雌性幼鼠、断奶前幼鼠、青春期大鼠、成年大鼠、中年大鼠和老年大鼠泪腺的形态学参数，以及眼泪的体积、蛋白质和IgG含量。我们的结果表明，泪腺的重量和形态外观随年龄发生了显著变化。此外，结构变化的程度取决于性别。除断奶前幼鼠外，在所有年龄段，雄性泪腺组织的腺泡面积均显著大于雌性；这种性别差异在老年大鼠中最为明显。相比之下，在整个发育和衰老过程中，雌性泪腺的腺泡密度高于或等于雄性。关于眼泪，从断奶前阶段到成年期，眼泪体积、蛋白质和IgG含量均有明显增加。在此之后，这些眼泪指标趋于平稳或略有上升直至衰老。性别对眼泪的体积、蛋白质和IgG水平几乎没有影响。有趣的是，眼泪中的IgG/蛋白质比值比泪腺组织中的低49至105倍，这表明IgG从泪腺向眼泪呈梯度下降。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，性别在发育和衰老过程中对泪腺结构有显著影响。然而，这种影响在眼泪体积和蛋白质含量方面是有限的。
