Chen Xiaona, Li Shixu, Zhang Yongxin, Ye Lin
Shenzhen Eye Hospital, Shenzhen Eye Hospital Affliated to Jinan University, Shenzhen 518040, China.
Shenzhen Eye Hospital, Shenzhen Eye Medical Center, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518040, China.
Stem Cells Int. 2025 Aug 8;2025:6334284. doi: 10.1155/sci/6334284. eCollection 2025.
Lacrimal gland (LG) dysfunction diseases are a type of disorder caused by various etiologies that damage the LG tissue, reducing lacrimal fluid secretion, triggering aqueous-deficient dry eye (ADDE), and causing a series of complications like keratoconjunctivitis sicca, potentially threatening vision. Our review summarizes the limitations and new progress of traditional treatment methods for LG dysfunction diseases. Meanwhile, we conduct in-depth analyses closely centered on the two emerging and cutting-edge research hotspots, namely stem cell therapy and organoid therapy. We have comprehensively evaluated the current research status regarding various stem cells, their derived extracellular vesicles, and LG organoid transplantation, further discussed the existing deficiencies, and subsequently put forward the prospective directions for future research. These include developing ophthalmic preparations of extracellular vesicles and LG stem cells or searching more efficient drug delivery systems, as well as culturing LG organoids that are highly similar to human lacrimal glands (LGs) in both function and microstructure through magnetic three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology and microfluidic 3D bioprinting technology.
泪腺功能障碍性疾病是一类由多种病因引起的疾病，这些病因会损害泪腺组织，减少泪液分泌，引发水样液缺乏性干眼症（ADDE），并导致一系列并发症，如角结膜干燥症，可能威胁视力。我们的综述总结了泪腺功能障碍性疾病传统治疗方法的局限性和新进展。同时，我们围绕两个新兴的前沿研究热点，即干细胞治疗和类器官治疗，进行了深入分析。我们全面评估了各种干细胞、其衍生的细胞外囊泡以及泪腺类器官移植的当前研究状况，进一步讨论了存在的不足，并随后提出了未来研究的前瞻性方向。这些方向包括开发细胞外囊泡和泪腺干细胞的眼科制剂或寻找更有效的药物递送系统，以及通过磁性三维（3D）生物打印技术和微流控3D生物打印技术培养在功能和微观结构上与人类泪腺高度相似的泪腺类器官。
