Foster Center for Ocular Immunology at Duke Eye Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Foster Center for Ocular Immunology at Duke Eye Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
Exp Eye Res. 2021 Apr;205:108502. doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108502. Epub 2021 Feb 16.
of Review: This review offers an informed and up-to-date insight on the immune profile of the cornea and the factors that govern the regulation of such a unique immune environment.
The cornea is a unique tissue that performs the specialized task of allowing light to penetrate for visual interpretation. To accomplish this, the ocular surface requires a distinct immune environment that is achieved through unique structural, cellular and molecular factors. Not only must the cornea be able to fend off invasive infectious agents but also control the inflammatory response as to avoid collateral, and potentially blinding damage; particularly of post-mitotic cells such as the corneal endothelium. To combat infections, both innate and adaptive arms of the inflammatory immune response are at play in the cornea. Dendritic cells play a critical role in coordinating both these responses in order to fend off infections. On the other side of the spectrum, the ocular surface is also endowed with a variety of anatomic and physiologic components that aid in regulating the immune response to prevent excessive, potentially damaging, inflammation. This attenuation of the immune response is termed immune privilege. The balance between pro and anti-inflammatory reactions is key for preservation of the functional integrity of the cornea.
The understanding of the molecular and cellular factors governing corneal immunology and its response to antigens is a growing field. Dendritic cells in the normal cornea play a crucial role in combating infections and coordinating the inflammatory arms of the immune response, particularly through coordination with T-helper cells. The role of neuropeptides is recently becoming more highlighted with different factors working on both sides of the inflammatory balance.
综述的目的在于提供对角膜免疫特性以及调控这种独特免疫环境的因素的深入了解。
角膜是一种独特的组织，其专门功能是允许光线穿透以进行视觉解释。为了实现这一目标，眼表面需要一种独特的免疫环境，这是通过独特的结构、细胞和分子因素来实现的。角膜不仅必须能够抵御侵袭性感染因子，还必须控制炎症反应，以避免潜在的、可能致盲的损伤；特别是对于角膜后细胞如角膜内皮细胞。为了抵御感染，角膜中的先天和适应性炎症免疫反应都在发挥作用。树突状细胞在协调这两种反应以抵御感染方面发挥着关键作用。另一方面，眼表面还具有多种解剖和生理成分，有助于调节免疫反应，以防止过度的、潜在的破坏性炎症。这种免疫反应的衰减被称为免疫特权。促炎和抗炎反应之间的平衡对于保持角膜的功能完整性至关重要。
对控制角膜免疫学及其对抗原反应的分子和细胞因素的理解是一个不断发展的领域。正常角膜中的树突状细胞在抵御感染和协调免疫反应的炎症分支方面发挥着至关重要的作用，特别是通过与辅助性 T 细胞的协调。神经肽的作用最近越来越受到重视，不同的因素在炎症平衡的两侧都发挥作用。
