Project description:Dry eye disease (DED) characterizes by chronic inflammation and an unstable tear film. Stem cells have shown potential for DED treatment, but the main challenge lies in improving the effectiveness of cell delivery. Here, we developed novel eye drops for DED treatment by employing porous microcarriers with mesenchymal stem cells. The microcarriers were created by electrospraying the solution of Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic Acid (RGD) peptides-modified sodium alginate with polyethylene oxide and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) into the calcium chloride solution. In vitro experiments based on a hyperosmotic corneal epithelial cell model indicated that porous microcarriers encapsulated with MSCs (RGD-Alg@MSCs) demonstrated notable enhancements in cell viability, reductions in apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and diminished expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In the DED model using non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, RGD-Alg@MSCs effectively enhanced tear production, promoted corneal healing, and alleviated inflammation. Additionally, RGD-Alg@MSCs modulated the immune environment in DED by inhibiting dendritic cell (DC) activation and suppressing Th17 differentiation in vitro, effectively disrupting the inflammatory feedback loop characteristic of DED. This immune modulation strategy was further validated through in vivo experiments, confirming its therapeutic potential. Thus, the designed MSCs-encapsulated porous microcarrier system can improve stem cell delivery and DED treatment efficiency.

2025-04-23 | GSE295017 | GEO

Two-Year Progression of Dry Eye Disease in Dry Eye Assessment and Management Study.

Project description: Not available

| S-EPMC11339235 | biostudies-literature

miR204-containing exosome ameliorates GVHD-associated dry eye disease

Project description:The graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) associated dry eye disease usually leads to refractory pain and visual impairment with limited treatments currently. Here we found exosome derived from mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC-exo) administered as eye drops significantly alleviates GVHD-associated dry eye disease in human and mouse models. To find out the essential elements during exosome treatment, we performed miRNA sequencing of exosomes derived from MSCs and L929 cells, and identified miR-204 in MSC-exo benefited the recovery of dry eye, which targeted IL-6/IL-6R/Stat3 signaling. Blockade of miR-204 abolished the therapeutic effect of MSC-exo while miR-204 overexpression from L929-exo markedly attenuates dry eye. Thus MSC-exo eye drops are efficacious in treating GVHD-associated dry eye and highlight miR-204 as a potential therapeutic agent.

2022-01-19 | GSE166585 | GEO

The transcriptome of rabbit conjunctiva in dry eye disease: Large-scale changes and similarity to the human dry eye

Project description:Rabbit Dry Eye Diesease model induced with 3 weekly injections of Concanavalin A into the periorbital lacrimal glands Male Dutch-Belted rabbits. The pathophysiology of dry eye disease (DED) remains largely unknown, accounting in part for the lack of successful treatments. The transcriptome of full-thickness’s conjunctival tissue from rabbits with DED and from normal controls was determined using microarrays. DED induced large-scale changes in gene transcription involving 5,184 genes (22% of the total). Differentially expressed genes could be segregated into: functional modules and clusters; altered pathways; functionally linked genes; and groups of individual genes of known or suspected pathophysiological relevance to DED. A common feature of these subgroups is the breadth and magnitude of the changes that encompass ocular immunology and essentially all aspects of cell biology. Prominent changes concerned innate and adaptive immune responses; ocular surface inflammation; at least 25 significantly altered signaling pathways; a large number of chemokines; cell cycle; and apoptosis. Comparison of our findings to the limited extant transcriptomic data from DED patients associated with either Sjogren’s syndrome or non-Sjogren’s etiologies revealed a significant correlation between human and rabbit DED transcriptomes. Our data, establishing the large-scale transcriptomic changes of DED and their potential similarity to the human, underscore the enormous complexity of DED; establish a robust animal model of DED; will help expand our understanding of its pathophysiology; and could guide the development of successful therapeutic strategies.

2021-03-30 | GSE171043 | GEO

[Dry eye disease - a widespread disorder].

Project description: Not available

| S-EPMC8872638 | biostudies-literature