title: Time-dependent degenerative transformations in the lipidome of chalazia.
abstract: The aim of this prospective study was to conduct histopathologic and lipidomic analyses of chalazia, in order to evaluate time-dependent changes in the lesion. Samples of surgically excised chalazia were collected over a period of 12 months from 10 patients (mean age 41 years; range, 23-58) with clinically diagnosed chalazia, who underwent scheduled surgery. The ages of chalazia varied from 2 to 28 weeks. To confirm the clinical diagnoses, the morphology of collected tissue samples was evaluated histologically after hematoxylin and eosin staining. The lipids from individual chalazia were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and compared with authentic lipid standards and with the lipids of meibum collected from normal controls. We observed gradual, lesion age-dependent transformation of the lipidome of chalazia from an almost normal meibum-like composition to a very different kind of lipidome. A rapid initial increase in the free cholesterol content was followed by a gradual replacement of extremely long chain meibomian-type lipids with a mixture of shorter-chain cholesteryl esters of the C14-C18 family, triacylglycerols, ceramides, phospholipids and sphingomyelins. In addition, a rapid disappearance of wax esters and cholesteryl esters of (1-O)-acyl-omega-hydroxy fatty acids from the lipidome of aging chalazia was observed. Our results are indicative of dramatic, time-dependent changes in the lesion that may involve cholesterol as a trigger and/or a marker of subsequent degeneration of the meibomian lipidome. We hypothesize that early inhibition of these transformations may be useful in reversing the course of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA. Electronic address: jadwiga.wojtowicz@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Jadwiga C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wojtowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA; The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA. Electronic address: igor.butovich@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Igor A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Butovich
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA. Electronic address: anne.mcmahon@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA. Electronic address: nick.hogan@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Robert N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA. Electronic address: kamel.itani@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Kamel M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Itani
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA. Electronic address: ronald.mancini@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA. Electronic address: mike.molai@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molai
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, 75390-9057, USA. Electronic address: emily.linsenbardt@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Linsenbardt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002518:Ceramides / Q000378:metabolism; D017043:Chalazion / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008537:Meibomian Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D008055:Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: HPLC; chalazion; cholesterol; inflammation; lipidomics; mass spectrometry; meibomian gland; statins