Department of Ophthalmology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Room 2114, Tampa, FL 33612. USA.
Department of Ophthalmology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Room 2114, Tampa, FL 33612. USA.
Ocul Surf. 2023 Oct;30:3-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2023.08.001. Epub 2023 Aug 3.
The structural and functional integrity of the ocular surface, a continuous epithelial structure comprised of the cornea, the conjunctiva, and the ductal surface of the lacrimal as well as meibomian glands, is crucial for proper vision. The ocular surface barrier function (OSBF), sum of the different types of protective mechanisms that exist at the ocular surface, is essential to protect the rest of the eye from vision-threatening physical, chemical, and biological insults. OSBF helps maintain the immune privileged nature of the cornea and the aqueous humor by preventing entry of infectious agents, allergens, and noxious chemicals. Disruption of OSBF exposes the dense nerve endings of the cornea to these stimuli, resulting in discomfort and pain. This review summarizes the status of our knowledge related to the molecular nature of OSBF, describes the effect of different ocular surface disorders on OSBF, and examines the relevance of this knowledge for ocular drug delivery.
眼表面的结构和功能完整性，是由角膜、结膜和泪液导管表面以及睑板腺组成的连续上皮结构，对正常视力至关重要。眼表面屏障功能（OSBF）是存在于眼表面的不同类型保护机制的总和，对于保护眼睛免受威胁视力的物理、化学和生物损伤至关重要。OSBF 有助于通过防止传染性病原体、过敏原和有害化学物质的进入来维持角膜和房水的免疫特权性质。OSBF 的破坏会使角膜的密集神经末梢暴露于这些刺激物中，导致不适和疼痛。这篇综述总结了我们对 OSBF 的分子性质的了解状况，描述了不同眼表面疾病对 OSBF 的影响，并探讨了这方面知识对眼部药物输送的相关性。
