Bhujel Basanta, Oh Seheon, Hur Woojune, Lee Seorin, Chung Ho Seok, Lee Hun, Park Jin Hyoung, Kim Jae Yong
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
Department of Medical Science, University of Ulsan Graduate School, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2024 May 16;11(5):498. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering11050498.
In response to the escalating concern over the effect of environmental factors on ocular health, this study aimed to investigate the impact of air pollution-associated particulate matter (PM) on ocular allergy and inflammation. C57BL/6 mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) topically and aluminum hydroxide via intraperitoneal injection. Two weeks later, the mice were challenged with OVA and exposed to PM. Three groups-naive, OVA, and OVA-sensitized with PM exposure (OVA + PM) groups-were induced to an Allergic Eye disease (AED) model. Parameters including clinical signs, histological changes, inflammatory cell infiltration, serum OVA-specific immunoglobulins E (IgE) levels, mast cells degranulation, cellular apoptosis and T-cell cytokines were studied. The results demonstrate that exposure with PM significantly exacerbates ocular allergy, evidenced by increased eye-lid edema, mast cell degranulation, inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and TNF-α), cell proliferation (Ki67), and serum IgE, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), and apoptosis and reduced goblet cells. These findings elucidate the detrimental impact of PM exposure on exacerbating the severity of AED. Noticeably, diminished goblet cells highlight disruptions in ocular surface integrity, while increased PMN infiltration with an elevated production of IgE signifies a systemic allergic response with inflammation. In conclusion, this study not only scientifically substantiates the association between air pollution, specifically PM, and ocular health, but also underscores the urgency for further exploration and targeted interventions to mitigate the detrimental effects of environmental pollutants on ocular surfaces.
鉴于对环境因素对眼部健康影响的担忧日益升级，本研究旨在调查与空气污染相关的颗粒物（PM）对眼部过敏和炎症的影响。通过腹腔注射用卵清蛋白（OVA）和氢氧化铝对C57BL/6小鼠进行局部致敏。两周后，用OVA对小鼠进行激发，并使其暴露于PM中。诱导三组——未处理组、OVA组和暴露于PM的OVA致敏组（OVA + PM组）——建立变应性眼病（AED）模型。研究了包括临床体征、组织学变化、炎性细胞浸润、血清OVA特异性免疫球蛋白E（IgE）水平、肥大细胞脱颗粒、细胞凋亡和T细胞细胞因子等参数。结果表明，暴露于PM会显著加重眼部过敏，表现为眼睑水肿加剧、肥大细胞脱颗粒、炎性细胞因子（IL-4、IL-5和TNF-α）、细胞增殖（Ki67）以及血清IgE、多形核白细胞（PMN）增加，细胞凋亡增加，杯状细胞减少。这些发现阐明了暴露于PM对加重AED严重程度的有害影响。值得注意的是，杯状细胞减少突出了眼表完整性的破坏，而PMN浸润增加和IgE产生增加表明存在伴有炎症的全身过敏反应。总之，本研究不仅科学地证实了空气污染，特别是PM，与眼部健康之间的关联，还强调了进一步探索和针对性干预以减轻环境污染物对眼表有害影响的紧迫性。
