[Evaluation of the chemokine variation in tears of contact lens wearers].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the variation of chemokines in tears of contact lens wearers.


METHODS
The subjects were divided into the three groups: a control group consisting of 26 eyes of 26 healthy volunteers without contact lenses a contact lens group (CL group) consisting of 30 eyes of 30 healthy contact lens wearers without ocular surface disorders, and a giant papillary conjunctivitis group (GPC group) consisting of 9 eyes of 9 patients with giant papillary conjunctivitis caused by contact lens wearing. Tear samples were taken by the modified Schirmer I method using a filter paper. Tear samples were eluted and analyzed for chemokines including interleukin-8 (IL-8), eotaxin-2, and pulmonary and activation-regulated CC chemokine (PARC) by the antibody array method. Concentrations of IL-8, eotaxin-2, and PARC in tears were determined quantitatively by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).


RESULTS
Using the antibody array method, the expression of IL-8, eotaxin-2, and PARC in the GPC group was 4-fold higher or greater than in the control group. In the measurement by ELISA, IL-8 levels in the GPC group (1154.5 +/- 1739.3 pg/ml) (mean +/- SD) were significantly higher (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.01) than in the control (75.2 +/- 88.7 pg/ml) and CL (153.6 +/- 252.8 pg/ml) groups. The eotaxin-2 levels in tears did not show a statistical difference among the three groups. The PARC level in tears of the GPC group (2859.6 +/- 2299.9 pg/ml) was significantly higher than in the control(589.0 +/- 324.8 pg/ml) and CL (671.7 +/- 536.2 pg/ml) groups (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Wearing a contact lens per se disorders, does not cause chemokine variation in tears. However, an increase of IL-8 which induces neutrophilic invasion and an increase of PARC which induces lymphocyte invasion play an important roles in increasing the risk factor of GPC when wearing contacts.
Iwasaki
Yutaka
Y
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Nihon University. 30-1 Oyaguchikami-machi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0032, Japan.
Shoji
Jun
J
Inada
Noriko
N
Sawa
Mitsuru
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054423:Chemokine CCL24; D018925:Chemokines / Q000032:analysis*; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000032:analysis; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000378:metabolism; D003261:Contact Lenses; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013666:Tears / Q000737:chemistry*
C111792:CCL18 protein, human; C515484:CCL24 protein, human; D054423:Chemokine CCL24; D018925:Chemokines; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D016209:Interleukin-8