Moreno Isabel Y, Cilli Eduardo Lourenço, Coulson-Thomas Vivien J
College of Optometry, University of Houston, 4401 Martin Luther King Blvd, Houston, TX, 77204-2020, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):20749. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-05452-9.
Dry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular condition that has been estimated to affect ~ 10 to 55.4% of the global population. Symptoms of DED include eye irritation, ocular pain and discomfort, inflammation, and photophobia, and, if left untreated, can lead to infection, corneal neuropathy, corneal scarring and impaired vision. Studies have shown that over 70% of all DED cases are caused by some form of Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). To date the etiology of MGD remains unknown, therefore, there is a need for further research into understanding the development, homeostasis and pathology of the Meibomian gland (MG). Various animal models, such as, the murine, rabbit and canine models, have provided valuable insights into the physiopathology of MGD, however, there are many limitations when comparing these models to human MGD. The nonhuman primate (NHP) model is closely related to humans and develops many diseases comparable to humans. This study aimed to characterize the anatomy and morphology of the NHP Macaca mulatta MGs compared to humans. MGs were analyzed by whole mount imaging and histology in the eyelids of NHPs of various ages ranging from ~ 3 months to 12 years. NHPs presented serially arranged MGs within the upper and lower tarsal plate with similar gland morphology to that of humans. Curiously, in the upper lid, the centrally located glands presented a distal portion that is thinner than the remaining glands, with meibocytes directly lining the central collecting duct instead of forming acinar structures. MG atrophy and drop-out were evident in both upper and lower eyelids of NHPs from 6 years of age, increasing in severity with age. Both MG tortuosity and hooking were observed in the NHPs at all ages, being more prevalent in the lower eyelids than in the upper eyelids. Taken together, our findings show that the NHP could be a valuable model for studying MG development, homeostasis and pathology, including Age Related MGD (ARMGD).
干眼疾病（DED）是一种常见的眼部疾病，据估计全球约10%至55.4%的人口受其影响。DED的症状包括眼部刺激、眼痛和不适、炎症以及畏光，若不治疗，可导致感染、角膜神经病变、角膜瘢痕形成和视力受损。研究表明，所有DED病例中超过70%是由某种形式的睑板腺功能障碍（MGD）引起的。迄今为止，MGD的病因尚不清楚，因此，有必要进一步研究以了解睑板腺（MG）的发育、稳态和病理。各种动物模型，如小鼠、兔子和犬类模型，为MGD的生理病理学提供了有价值的见解，然而，将这些模型与人类MGD进行比较时存在许多局限性。非人灵长类动物（NHP）模型与人类密切相关，会发生许多与人类相似的疾病。本研究旨在比较NHP猕猴的MG与人类MG的解剖结构和形态。通过全层成像和组织学对年龄在约3个月至12岁的不同年龄段NHP眼睑中的MG进行分析。NHP的上下睑板内有连续排列的MG，其腺体形态与人类相似。奇怪的是，在上睑中，位于中央的腺体远端部分比其余腺体薄，睑板腺细胞直接排列在中央集合管内，而不是形成腺泡结构。6岁以上NHP的上下眼睑中均明显出现MG萎缩和缺失，且严重程度随年龄增加。在所有年龄段的NHP中均观察到MG迂曲和钩状改变，在下眼睑中比在上眼睑中更普遍。综上所述，我们的研究结果表明，NHP可能是研究MG发育、稳态和病理（包括年龄相关性MGD，ARMGD）的有价值模型。
