title: Conjunctival Goblet Cell Function: Effect of Contact Lens Wear and Cytokines.
abstract: This review focuses on conjunctival goblet cells and their essential function in the maintenance of eye health. The main function of goblet cells is to produce and secrete mucins that lubricate the ocular surface. An excess or a defect in those mucins leads to several alterations that makes goblet cells central players in maintaining the proper mucin balance and ensuring the correct function of ocular surface tissues. A typical pathology that occurs with mucous deficiency is dry eye disease, whereas the classical example of mucous hyperproduction is allergic conjunctivitis. In this review, we analyze how goblet cell number and function can be altered in these diseases and in contact lens (CL) wearers. We found that most published studies focused exclusively on the goblet cell number. However, recent advances have demonstrated that, along with mucin secretion, goblet cells are also able to secrete cytokines and respond to them. We describe the effect of different cytokines on goblet cell proliferation and secretion. We conclude that it is important to further explore the effect of CL wear and cytokines on conjunctival goblet cell function.
authors.affiliation: Ocular Surface Group (L.G.-P., L.S.-R., Y.D.), Institute for Applied Ophthalmobiology (IOBA), University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain; Networking Research Center on Bioengineering (L.G.-P., L.S.-R., Y.D.), Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN); Department of Ophthalmology (L.C.-R.), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA; Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Ear (D.A.D.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Department of Ophthalmology (D.A.D.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García-Posadas
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Contreras-Ruiz
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soriano-Romaní
authors.forename: Darlene A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Dartt
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Diebold
mesh_terms: D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020397:Goblet Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009077:Mucins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D009077:Mucins