Tear chymase in vernal keratoconjunctivitis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the levels of mast cell chymase and tryptase activity in the tears of patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC).


METHODS
Subjects were 38 VKC patients and 18 healthy controls whose chymase and tryptase activity in tears was measured by enzyme assay. VKC severity was quantified based on the following clinical signs: papillary hypertrophy, conjunctival hyperemia, edema, punctate keratitis, Trantas dots, and mucus production. Of the 38 VKC patients, the degree of disease severity was mild in 13, moderate in 18, and severe in 7.


RESULTS
Mean chymase activity and standard deviation in tears was 0.23+/-0.07mU in mild VKC, 0.68+/-0.22mU in moderate VKC, 1.91+/-0.71 mU in severe VKC, and 0.11+/-0.05 mU in healthy controls. The increase in all VKC stages was statistically significant compared to that in healthy control. The degree of chymase activity in tears correlated significantly with VKC severity (r = 0.9245, p < 0.001). High tryptase activity was also detected in the tears of VKC patients, although increased tryptase activity in tears did not correlate with disease severity (r = 0.1999).


CONCLUSIONS
Chymase activity in tears may thus be a sensitive marker for determining the severity of VKC.
Ebihara
Nobuyuki
N
Department of Ophthalmology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. ayas@med.juntendo.ac.jp
Funaki
Toshinari
T
Takai
Shinji
S
Miyazaki
Mizuo
M
Fujiki
Keiko
K
Murakami
Akira
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D053818:Chymases; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013666:Tears / Q000201:enzymology*; D053802:Tryptases
D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D053818:Chymases; D053802:Tryptases