Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019 Feb 1;60(2):615-623. doi: 10.1167/iovs.18-26318.
To evaluate the morphologic changes in the corneal subbasal nerve (CSN) plexus in wild-type (WT) mice after exposure to scopolamine-induced dry eye stress (DES) by using in vivo confocal microscopy.
Twenty right eyes of twenty (n = 20) 8-week-old WT BALB/c male mice were investigated. The mice were divided into two experimental groups; 10 eyes of 10 mice exposed to DES for 28 days and 10 eyes of 10 mice were used as a control group. All mice underwent examinations for aqueous tear secretion quantity, tear film breakup time (TBUT), corneal vital staining. and corneal sensitivity thrice (pre-experiment, 2nd week, and 4th week). CSN density, tortuosity, reflectivity, and dendritic cell (DC) densities were examined.
The mean aqueous tear secretion (P < 0.0001) and TBUTs (P < 0.0001) were significantly decreased after DES. The mean corneal vital staining scores were significantly higher (fluorescein, P < 0.0001; lissamine, P < 0.0001), the mean TBUTs were significantly shorter (P < 0.0001), and the corneal sensitivities (P < 0.0001) were significantly lower in the dry eye-induced mice than the control mice. The mean CSN fiber density (P < 0.0001) and the reflectivity (P < 0.001) were significantly lower; the mean tortuosity and the mean DC density were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in the dry eye mice.
Our data demonstrated that prolonged exposure to DES resulted in alterations of CSN density; DC intensity, reflectivity, and tortuosity as well as in tear volume; TBUT; fluorescein and lissamine green staining scores; and the corneal sensitivity in WT mice.
通过活体共聚焦显微镜评估野生型（WT）小鼠暴露于东莨菪碱诱导的干眼应激（DES）后角膜基底神经丛（CSN）的形态变化。
研究了 20 只 8 周龄 WT BALB/c 雄性小鼠的 20 只右眼。将小鼠分为两组；10 只眼睛暴露于 DES 28 天，10 只眼睛作为对照组。所有小鼠均进行了 3 次（实验前、第 2 周和第 4 周）的泪液分泌量、泪膜破裂时间（TBUT）、角膜活体染色和角膜敏感性检查。检测 CSN 密度、扭曲度、反射率和树突状细胞（DC）密度。
DES 后，平均泪液分泌量（P < 0.0001）和 TBUT （P < 0.0001）显著降低。干燥眼诱导小鼠的平均角膜活体染色评分明显较高（荧光素，P < 0.0001； Lissamine，P < 0.0001），平均 TBUT 明显缩短（P < 0.0001），角膜敏感性明显降低（P < 0.0001））与对照组相比。干燥眼小鼠的平均 CSN 纤维密度（P < 0.0001）和反射率（P < 0.001）显著降低，平均扭曲度和平均 DC 密度显著升高（P < 0.0001）。
我们的数据表明，长时间暴露于 DES 会导致 CSN 密度改变；DC 强度、反射率和扭曲度以及泪液体积、TBUT、荧光素和 Lissamine 绿染色评分以及 WT 小鼠的角膜敏感性。
