• Online Features  This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (51)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Dry Eye Syndromes  • Drug Therapy  • Drug Therapy, Other  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Saadia Rashid, MD; Yiping Jin, MD, PhD; Tatiana Ecoiffier, MSc; Stefano Barabino, MD, PhD; Debra A. Schaumberg, ScD, MPH; M. Reza Dana, MD, MSc, MPH

Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(2):219-225.

Objective  To study the efficacy of topical application of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) for dry eye treatment.

Methods  Formulations containing ALA, LA, combined ALA and LA, or vehicle alone, were applied to dry eyes induced in mice. Corneal fluorescein staining and the number and maturation of corneal CD11b⁺ cells were determined by a masked observer in the different treatment groups. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify expression of inflammatory cytokines in the cornea and conjunctiva.

Results  Dry eye induction significantly increased corneal fluorescein staining; CD11b⁺ cell number and major histocompatibility complex Class II expression; corneal IL-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-) expression; and conjunctival IL-1, TNF-, interferon , IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10 expression. Treatment with ALA significantly decreased corneal fluorescein staining compared with both vehicle and untreated controls. Additionally, ALA treatment was associated with a significant decrease in CD11b⁺ cell number, expression of corneal IL-1 and TNF-, and conjunctival TNF-.

Conclusions  Topical ALA treatment led to a significant decrease in dry eye signs and inflammatory changes at both cellular and molecular levels.

Clinical Relevance  Topical application of ALA omega-3 fatty acid may be a novel therapy to treat the clinical signs and inflammatory changes accompanying dry eye syndrome.

Author Affiliations: Schepens Eye Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts (Drs Rashid, Jin, Barabino, Schaumberg, and Dana and Mss Ecoiffier); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Drs Rashid, Jin, Barabino, Schaumberg, and Dana and Ms Ecoiffier); Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology, and Genetics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy (Dr Barabino); Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Dr Schaumberg); and Cornea Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston (Dr Dana).

CiteULike    Connotea    Delicious    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Dry Eye Disease: An Immune-Mediated Ocular Surface Disorder
Stevenson et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2012;130:90-100.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Blockade of Prolymphangiogenic Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C in Dry Eye Disease
Goyal et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2012;130:84-89.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Neurotransmitter Influence on Human Meibomian Gland Epithelial Cells
Kam and Sullivan
IOVS 2011;52:8543-8548.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Association between Depression and Dry Eye Disease in an Elderly Population
Kim et al.
IOVS 2011;52:7954-7958.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ocular Surface APCs Are Necessary for Autoreactive T Cell-Mediated Experimental Autoimmune Lacrimal Keratoconjunctivitis
Schaumburg et al.
J. Immunol. 2011;187:3653-3662.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Very Late Antigen-1 Mediates Corneal Lymphangiogenesis
Grimaldo et al.
IOVS 2011;52:4808-4812.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Interferon-{gamma}-secreting NK cells promote induction of dry eye disease
Chen et al.
J. Leukoc. Biol. 2011;89:965-972.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

14-3-3{sigma} Controls Corneal Epithelium Homeostasis and Wound Healing
Lu et al.
IOVS 2011;52:2389-2396.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Subcommittee on the Epidemiology of, and Associated Risk Factors for, MGD
Schaumberg et al.
IOVS 2011;52:1994-2005.
FULL TEXT  

The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Subcommittee on Management and Treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
Geerling et al.
IOVS 2011;52:2050-2064.
FULL TEXT  

Regulation of T-Cell Chemotaxis by Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) in Dry Eye-Associated Corneal Inflammation
El Annan et al.
IOVS 2010;51:3418-3423.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Evidence of Corneal Lymphangiogenesis in Dry Eye Disease: A Potential Link to Adaptive Immunity?
Goyal et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2010;128:819-824.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Significance of lipid mediators in corneal injury and repair
Kenchegowda and Bazan
J. Lipid Res. 2010;51:879-891.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Characterization of Effector T Cells in Dry Eye Disease
El Annan et al.
IOVS 2009;50:3802-3807.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Amelioration of Murine Dry Eye Disease by Topical Antagonist to Chemokine Receptor 2
Goyal et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2009;127:882-887.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Autoimmunity in Dry Eye Is Due to Resistance of Th17 to Treg Suppression
Chauhan et al.
J. Immunol. 2009;182:1247-1252.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT