Department of Chemistry, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, India.
J Food Biochem. 2022 Oct;46(10):e14352. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.14352. Epub 2022 Jul 27.
Dry eye disease (DED) is a complex ocular surface inflammatory disease. Its occurrence varies widely over the world, ranging from 5% to 34%. The use of preservatives, specifically benzalkonium chloride, in the ocular drops worsens the DED conditions. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic increased screen time and the use of face masks and shields. As a result, the number of people suffering from dry eye disease (DED) has increased significantly in recent years. The main objective of our study is to find a solution to manage the dry eye disease (DED) preferably from natural source without any adverse events. In this study, the beneficial effects of capsanthin from Capsicum annum (CCA) were evaluated on benzalkonium chloride (BAC)-induced dry eye disease (DED) in Albino Wistar rats. Oral supplementation of CCA resulted in a statistically significant decrease in intraocular pressure (IOP) (p < .0001), increase in tear break-up time (TBUT) (p < .01), decline in Schirmer test results (p < .01), and decrease in corneal surface inflammation (p < .01). Capsanthin ameliorated in reducing oxidative stress by increasing serum antioxidant levels such as glutathione peroxidase (GPX), nitric oxide (NO), and lactoferrin (LTF) and inhibiting matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP2 and MMP9) (p < .0001). Capsanthin treatment significantly inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukins (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6), and pro-inflammatory mediator, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9). Furthermore, the lacrimal gland expressed vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1), and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) was suppressed by CCA treatment. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a preservative widely used in the topical ocular drug delivery system (ODDS), causes undesirable effects such as dry eye disease as well as ameliorating intraocular pressure leading to optical nerve damage and irreversible vision loss. Capsanthin from Capsicum annum (CCA) can be used to treat symptoms related to dry eye disease such as inflammation, eye irritation, visual disturbance, ocular discomfort with potential damage to the ocular surface. The CCA may be beneficial in the treatment of glaucoma, an elevated intraocular pressure. Capsanthin from C. annum can be useful in managing DED by increasing tear break-up time (TBUT), declining in Schirmer test results and decreasing in corneal surface inflammation.
干眼症（DED）是一种复杂的眼表炎症性疾病。其在世界范围内的发病率差异很大，范围为 5%至 34%。防腐剂，特别是苯扎氯铵，在滴眼剂中的使用会使 DED 状况恶化。此外，新冠疫情增加了屏幕时间以及面罩和眼罩的使用。因此，近年来患有干眼症（DED）的人数显著增加。我们研究的主要目的是寻找一种解决方案来管理干眼症（DED），最好是从天然来源，而没有任何不良事件。在这项研究中，评估了辣椒中的辣椒素（CCA）对苯扎氯铵（BAC）诱导的白化 Wistar 大鼠干眼症（DED）的有益作用。CCA 的口服补充可使眼内压（IOP）显著降低（p<0.0001），泪膜破裂时间（TBUT）增加（p<0.01），Schirmer 测试结果下降（p<0.01），角膜表面炎症减少（p<0.01）。辣椒素通过增加血清抗氧化剂水平（如谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GPX）、一氧化氮（NO）和乳铁蛋白（LTF））和抑制基质金属蛋白酶 2 和 9（MMP2 和 MMP9）（p<0.0001）来减轻氧化应激。辣椒素治疗可显著抑制炎症细胞因子、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白细胞介素（IL-2、IL-4、IL-6）和促炎介质基质金属蛋白酶-9（MMP9）的表达。此外，CCA 处理抑制了泪腺表达血管细胞粘附分子（VCAM-1）和前列腺素内过氧化物合酶 2（PTGS2）。
苯扎氯铵（BAC）是一种广泛用于局部眼部药物递送系统（ODDS）的防腐剂，会引起干眼症等不良影响，同时还可降低眼压，导致视神经损伤和不可逆转的视力丧失。辣椒中的辣椒素（CCA）可用于治疗干眼症相关症状，如炎症、眼睛刺激、视力障碍、眼部不适以及潜在的眼表损伤。CCA 可能有益于治疗青光眼，即眼压升高。辣椒素（CCA）可通过增加泪膜破裂时间（TBUT）、Schirmer 测试结果下降和角膜表面炎症减少来管理 DED。
