Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore, 59 Nanyang Drive, 636921, Singapore.
Clinic of the LMU Munich, Section of Immunobiology, Department of Ophthalmology, Mathildenstr. 8, 80336 Munich, Germany.
Autoimmun Rev. 2016 Dec;15(12):1181-1192. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2016.09.001. Epub 2016 Sep 15.
Understanding the immunopathogenesis of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases is a prerequisite for specific and effective therapeutical intervention. This review focuses on animal models of two common ocular inflammatory diseases, dry eye disease (DED), affecting the ocular surface, and uveitis with inflammation of the inner eye. In both diseases autoimmunity plays an important role, in idiopathic uveitis immune reactivity to intraocular autoantigens is pivotal, while in dry eye disease autoimmunity seems to play a role in one subtype of disease, Sjögren' syndrome (SjS). Comparing the immune mechanisms underlying both eye diseases reveals similarities, and significant differences. Studies have shown genetic predispositions, T and B cell involvement, cytokine and chemokine signatures and signaling pathways as well as environmental influences in both DED and uveitis. Uveitis and DED are heterogeneous diseases and there is no single animal model, which adequately represents both diseases. However, there is evidence to suggest that certain T cell-targeting therapies can be used to treat both, dry eye disease and uveitis. Animal models are essential to autoimmunity research, from the basic understanding of immune mechanisms to the pre-clinical testing of potential new therapies.
了解自身免疫和炎症性疾病的免疫发病机制是进行特异性和有效治疗干预的前提。这篇综述重点介绍了两种常见眼部炎症性疾病的动物模型，即影响眼表的干眼症 (DED) 和眼内炎症性葡萄膜炎。在这两种疾病中，自身免疫都起着重要作用，特发性葡萄膜炎中对眼内自身抗原的免疫反应至关重要，而在干燥性眼炎中，自身免疫似乎在干燥综合征 (SjS) 这一疾病亚型中发挥作用。比较这两种眼部疾病的免疫机制显示出相似性和显著差异。研究表明，遗传易感性、T 细胞和 B 细胞参与、细胞因子和趋化因子特征以及信号通路以及环境影响都与 DED 和葡萄膜炎有关。葡萄膜炎和 DED 是异质性疾病，没有单一的动物模型能够充分代表这两种疾病。然而，有证据表明，某些针对 T 细胞的治疗方法可以用于治疗干眼症和葡萄膜炎。动物模型对于自身免疫研究至关重要，从对免疫机制的基本了解到潜在新疗法的临床前测试。
