title: Free amino acids: an innovative treatment for ocular surface disease.
abstract: Amino acids are the basic constituents of living organisms, and have both a structural and an active dynamic role in tissue and cell physiology. Human tears contain 23 amino acids, the relative proportion of which may change with the different physiological states of the eye surface. In this review, we present a collection of data from the published literature that indicate an active role of amino acids in the maintenance of eye surface homeostasis. Moreover, another series of published clinical data indicate that supplementation of amino acids, either as food supplements or as a topical treatment in enriched eye drops, is beneficial to the eye surface, and may improve its healing in cases of eye surface disease due to different causes.
authors.affiliation: Sooft Italia SpA, Scientific Department, Via Salvatore Quasimodo 136, 00144 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: dario.rusciano@sooft.it.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rusciano
authors.affiliation: Cornea and Refractive Surgery Section, Ophthalmology Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Roszkowska
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gagliano
authors.affiliation: Sooft laboratories, Viale Andrea Doria 21, 95125 Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pezzino
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids
keywords: Aminoacids; Dry eye; Glycine; Leucine; Lysine; Proline; Taurine