title: Tear production and ocular surface changes in experimental dry eye after elimination of desiccating stress.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the severity and duration of desiccating stress-induced dry eye disease between mice with and without a genetic predisposition to spontaneous autoimmunity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental dry eye was induced in 12- to 16-week-old wild-type C57BL/6 and autoimmune NOD.B10.H2(b) mice by subcutaneous injection of scopolamine with exposure to an air draft for 10 days. Tear volume and corneal smoothness were measured at baseline, 5 and 10 days after desiccating stress, and 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after the removal of desiccating stress. Periodic acid-Schiff staining and immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate the densities of conjunctival goblet cells and CD4(+) T cells in each group. Interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 concentrations in conjunctival tissues were measured by multiplex immunobead assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Signs of experimental dry eye were noted at 5 and 10 days after desiccating stress in both strains. After the removal of desiccating stress, in C57BL/6 mice, tear production and corneal smoothness improved at 3 and 7 days, respectively, and conjunctival goblet cells and CD4(+) T-cell densities and cytokine levels returned to baseline levels at 14 days. In contrast, in NOD.B10.H2(b) mice, none of the parameters recovered to baseline levels during a period of 28 days after the removal of desiccating stress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After the removal of desiccating stress in experimental dry eye, tear volume and ocular surface parameters recovered within 2 weeks in C57BL/6 mice, whereas they remained unchanged in NOD mice. In contrast to autoimmune mice, experimental dry eye can be reversed after the elimination of desiccating stress in nonsusceptible mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, , Chonnam National University, Medical School and Hospital, Gwang-Ju, Korea. kcyoon@jnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kyung-Chul
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Kyu-Youn
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Won
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Zhengri
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ji-Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Seung-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Soo-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003890:Desiccation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D020397:Goblet Cells; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000633:toxicity; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D012601:Scopolamine