Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 19;10(1):2933. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59956-7.
To compare goblet cell (GC) number and area in the covered superior (SB) versus exposed temporal (TB) bulbar conjunctiva in control versus aqueous tear deficient eyes (ATD) and evaluate correlation with tear MUC5AC protein. SB and TB impression cytology performed on control eyes, Sjögren syndrome (SS) ATD, and non-SS ATD was stained with period acid Schiff. GC number and area were measured with image analysis software. Protein-normalized MUC5AC level was measured in Schirmer strip-collected tears. Compared to control conjunctiva, GC number and area were significantly lower in SS, non-SS, and combined ATD groups in exposed TB, and were also significantly lower in SS and combined ATD groups in covered SB. In all ATD, GC number and area were significantly correlated, but differences between SB and TB were non-significant. Normalized tear MUC5AC protein was lower in all ATD groups versus control eyes, and correlated only with GC area. GCs are significantly decreased in the covered and exposed conjunctiva in SS. GC area may be a better disease measure than number for ATD. Correlation between tear MUC5AC concentration and GC area suggests tear MUC5AC mucin can be used as a disease-relevant biomarker for conjunctiva GC health.
比较覆盖性上（SB）和暴露性颞（TB）球结膜杯状细胞（GC）数量和面积在对照组与水性泪液缺乏（ATD）眼中的差异，并评估与泪液 MUC5AC 蛋白的相关性。对对照组、干燥综合征（SS）ATD 和非 SS ATD 眼进行 SB 和 TB 印迹细胞学检查，用过碘酸希夫染色。用图像分析软件测量 GC 数量和面积。在 Schirmer 条收集的泪液中测量蛋白归一化的 MUC5AC 水平。与对照组结膜相比，暴露性 TB 中 SS、非 SS 和合并 ATD 组的 GC 数量和面积显著降低，SS 和合并 ATD 组的覆盖性 SB 中 GC 数量和面积也显著降低。在所有 ATD 中，GC 数量和面积呈显著相关性，但 SB 和 TB 之间无差异。所有 ATD 组的泪液 MUC5AC 蛋白均低于对照组，且仅与 GC 面积相关。SS 患者的覆盖和暴露性结膜 GC 数量明显减少。GC 面积可能是 ATD 比数量更好的疾病指标。泪液 MUC5AC 浓度与 GC 面积的相关性表明，泪液 MUC5AC 粘蛋白可用作结膜 GC 健康的疾病相关生物标志物。
