Retinyl ester hydrolysis in the rabbit lacrimal gland.

The lacrimal gland stores retinyl esters which are synthesized by the enzyme acyl CoA:retinyl acyl transferase. Retinol is released from retinyl ester reserves by retinyl ester hydrolase (REH). Since the lacrimal gland secretes retinol, this gland should also contain this enzyme. To identify bile salt-dependent REH activity, rabbit lacrimal glands were homogenized in 0.05 M Trismaleate buffer, and enzyme activity was determined in the tissue homogenate, in the membrane fraction and in the cytosolic fraction by measurement of production of retinol from retinyl palmitate (nmol retinol produced/mg protein/h). In the lacrimal gland, production of retinol was optimal in the presence of 200 mM CHAPS at pH 7. The REH activity in the presence of 1000 microM retinyl palmitate was 2.38 +/- 0.18 nmol/mg/h in the homogenate, 1.13 +/- 0.16/nmol/mg/h in membranes and 3.25 +/- 0.26 nmol/mg/h in cytosol. By comparison, REH activity in rabbit liver was 6.58 +/- 0.75 nmol/mg/h. The REH activity in lacrimal gland was not affected by vitamin A deficiency. These data are consistent with the presence of retinyl ester hydrolase activity in the lacrimal gland and provide further evidence that this gland is adapted for metabolism and secretion of retinol.     

Characterization of beta-hexosaminidase secretion in rabbit lacrimal gland

The present study was aimed at validating the use of the lysosomal enzyme beta-hexosaminidase as a marker of secretory function in cultured rabbit lacrimal gland acinar cells. The secretory response and morphological characteristics of isolated acinar cells cultured in a serum-free medium supplemented with an extracellular matrix extract were monitored over time as part of optimization of our culturing protocol. Secreted beta-hexosaminidase activity was analyzed and compared with that of another lysosomal enzyme, cathepsin B, as well as protein secreted into the media, w or w/o the presence of secretagogues or protein kinase C activators and inhibitors. Lacrimal gland fluid was obtained from pilocarpine stimulated rabbits, and the activities of beta-hexosaminidase and cathepsin B were measured. A membrane fraction and a soluble fraction were obtained from isolated acinar cells and used for kinetic studies of beta-hexosaminidase in comparison with that released from cultured cells, in the lacrimal gland fluid and in serum. Optimal secretory response was obtained when the cells had been in culture for 2-3 days, coinciding with the formation of acinus-like structures. Stimulation of the cultured cells by carbachol or phorbol esters resulted in a more than 3-fold increase of beta-hexosaminidase release over basal, whereas no effect on cathepsin B release could be detected. Treatment with the protein kinase C inhibitor, chelerythrine chloride, significantly decreased the carbachol and phorbol ester-stimulated secretion. Cathepsin B could not be detected in rabbit lacrimal fluid, but beta-hexosaminidase was easily measured in quantities corresponding to as low as 0.4 microl of tear fluid. Using 4-methylumbelliferyl N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide as a substrate for beta-hexosaminidase, the K(m) in lacrimal gland fluid (1.22+/-0.15 mM) was not significantly different from that of the membrane-associated fraction, the soluble fraction, rabbit serum or activity secreted from cultured cells. Beta-hexosaminidase is secreted by rabbit lacrimal gland, in vivo, and by acinar cells in primary culture, whereas cathepsin B is not secreted under the conditions described. Beta-hexosaminidase therefore provides a versatile marker for secretion in studies of tear production utilizing the rabbit as a model. Our results also indicate that PKC is an important regulator of rabbit lacrimal gland secretion.     

维生素A缺乏干眼症兔泪腺凋亡及相关基因的表达

目的　探讨维生素A缺乏兔干眼症模型泪腺上皮细胞凋亡及相关基因表达与组织损伤的关系。方法　制作 6只维生素A缺乏兔干眼症模型 ,采用原位末端标记及免疫组织化学方法 ,对模型兔及 6只对照兔泪腺组织上皮细胞中的凋亡细胞及Fas、FasL、Bax和bcl 2等相关基因蛋白的表达进行检测。结果　干眼症模型兔泪腺上皮细胞凋亡数为每高倍视野 (18.17± 5 .33)个 ,对照兔为每高倍视野 (3.5 6± 1.18)个 ,P <0 .0 0 1。模型兔泪腺导管及腺泡上皮细胞中 ,Fas、FasL及Bax阳性表达的细胞数 [每 10 0 0个细胞(416 .33± 112 .0 9)个、(45 8.6 7± 12 0 .5 2 )个及 (32 8.74± 89.0 8)个 ]均明显高于对照组 [每10 0 0个细胞阳性数为 (98.83± 5 1.2 3)个、(12 6 .88± 5 4 .0 9)个及 (87.75± 4 3.33)个 ],P <0 .0 0 1,与凋亡细胞数呈正相关 (r =0 .86 ,0 .91,0 .88;P <0 .0 1)。bcl 2阳性表达的细胞数[每 10 0 0个细胞阳性数为 (113.37± 72 .4 5 )个 ],明显低于对照组 [每 10 0 0个细胞阳性数为 (396 .6 7± 98.73)个 ],P <0 .0 0 1,与凋亡细胞数呈负相关 (r =- 0 .73,P <0 .0 5 )。结论　维生素A缺乏兔泪腺组织中上皮细胞凋亡可能是导致腺体破坏进而功能丧失的原因之一 ;Fas、FasL及Bax增加及bcl 2的减少均与促进细胞     

Sex hormone regulation of tear lipocalin in the rabbit lacrimal gland

Tear lipocalin (TL) (∼18 kDa), a member of the lipocalin superfamily, has been identified as one of the major proteins present in rabbit lacrimal fluid. The concentration of TL has been found to be decreased in the tears of patients with dry eye disease. Lacrimal gland insufficiency, one of the major causes of dry eye disease, is known to affect mainly postmenopausal women, where there is a significant decrease in the production of androgen and estrogen. These observations suggest that sex hormones might influence dry eye indirectly by regulating the expression of TL. The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) the effect of sexual maturation on the expression of TL; and (2) if the expression of TL is regulated by the estrogen, 17β-estradiol, and/or the androgen, dihydrotestosterone, in sexually mature female rabbits. Lacrimal fluid (LF) and lacrimal gland soluble fraction (Si) was collected from juvenile (2 kg) and sexually mature (4 kg) male and female New Zealand white (NZW) rabbits. In addition, LF and Si were collected from 4 kg rabbits, 7 days after being either sham operated (control), ovariectomized (OVX), ovariectomized treated with estrogen (OVX + E) or ovariectomized treated with dihydrotestosterone (OVX + DHT). Samples were analyzed for protein levels of TL by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using a polyclonal rat anti-rabbit TL antibody. Densitometry analysis showed that TL protein levels in both LF and Si increased with age in male and female rabbits. In addition, TL protein levels were significantly higher in the sexually mature 4 kg male compared with the 4 kg female, while no significant difference in TL protein levels were seen among the juvenile male and female rabbits. Furthermore, ovariectomy decreased the protein levels of TL in LF and Si fraction by 50% and 20% respectively, compared with control values. Estrogen treatment increased TL protein levels by 30% and 50% in the LF and Si fraction respectively, compared with the sham operated group. DHT treatment also increased TL protein levels by approximately 150% in both LF and Si fraction compared with control values. These results support the hypothesis that sex hormones influence TL protein levels in rabbit lacrimal glands. The possibility of a role of TL in dry eye needs to be further investigated.     

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca caused by denervation of lacrimal gland (author's transl)]

An irreversible, unilateral keratoconjunctivitis sicca developed in a healthy 16-year-old female patient due to traumatic denervation of the lacrimal gland after oto-basal skull fracture with reversible complete peripheral facial paralysis, the corneal sensitivity remaining normal. This observation and other reports on keratoconjunctivitis sicca caused by isolated lacrimal gland insufficiency indicate the physiological importance of the main lacrimal gland as indispensable part of the secretory tear system.     

Cellular carbohydrate components in human,rabbit and rat lacrimal gland

Orbital lacrimal glands from adult male and female rabbits, rats and humans were examined for the presence of intracellular receptors of four lectins: concanavalin-A agglutinin, lutus tetragonolobus agglutinin, ricinus comunis-60 agglutinin and wheat-germ agglutinin using fluorescein-conjugated lectin and peroxidase labelling methods for fluorescence and electron microscopy, respectively. Lectins were used as specific probes to detect carbohydrate moiety of the lacrimal gland. The pattern of labelling with the lectins suggests thatN-acetyl-glucosamine,N-acetyl-d-galactosamine,d-galactose,d-mannose, sialic acid andl-fucose are contained in the lacrimal gland of the three species. The significance of these findings is discussed.     

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitor gene expression suppresses lacrimal gland immunopathology in a rabbit model of autoimmune dacryoadenitis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor protein on lacrimal gland immunopathology and ocular surface disease resulting from induced dacryoadenitis. METHODS: Autoimmune dacryoadenitis was induced in rabbits by injecting the lacrimal glands with peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) activated by 5 days of coculture with autologous acinar cells in a mixed cell reaction. In the treated group, an adenoviral vector carrying the TNF inhibitor gene (AdTNFRp55-Ig) was concurrently injected with AMCR-PBL. Tear production was monitored by Schirmer test, and tears were collected for detection of TNF-inhibitor protein. Frozen sections of the glands were immunostained for expression of CD4, CD8, rabbit thymic lymphocyte antigen (RTLA), and CD18. Histological sections of lacrimal glands were examined using the TUNEL technique to monitor apoptosis. RESULTS: Soluble TNF-inhibitor protein was detected by ELISA in tears, with titers at a maximum on day 3, declining by day 7, and undetectable by day 14. Tear production declined in the induced dacryoadenitis group but did not change when glands had been treated with AdTNFRp55-Ig simultaneously with disease induction. Tear break-up time and rose bengal staining properties were not altered by treatment. Fourteen days after the glands were injected with activated PBLs, focal mononuclear cell infiltrates were observed around ducts and venules, some of which assumed the high endothelial phenotype, and between acini. Immune cells in the infiltrates stained positive for CD4, RTLA, and CD18. Glands that received AdTNFRp55-Ig concurrently with activated PBLs had decreased numbers of CD4 cells, CD18 cells, RTLA, and apoptotic cells. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo transduction of the lacrimal gland with AdTNFRIp55-Ig resulted in transient expression in the gland and the appearance of TNF-inhibitor protein in tears. The presence of soluble TNF-inhibitor protein partially suppressed the appearance of Sj?gren's syndrome-like features of reduced tear production and the immunohistopathology associated with induced autoimmune dacryoadenitis but not tear break-up time and ocular surface disease. This may reflect immunoregulation in the lacrimal gland but not in the conjunctiva.     

Comparison of tears and lacrimal gland fluid in the rabbit and guinea pig

The excretory duct of the lacrimal gland of rabbits and guinea pigs was cannulated in situ for collection of pure lacrimal gland fluid, not contaminated by secretions from the Harderian gland or contributions of desquamating cells of the conjunctival and corneal epithelium. Tears as well as lacrimal gland fluid of both species showed a species-specific and molecular weight-dependent pattern after sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide (SDS-PAA) gradient slab gel electrophoresis. The most striking difference in both species was a protein corresponding to serum albumin present in tears and almost lacking in lacrimal gland fluid. Likewise, a variety of enzymes, total protein and PGE2 were measured in tears and lacrimal gland fluid. For rabbit tears the lacrimal gland is the primary tissue source of lysozyme (LZM), beta-hexosaminidase (beta-hex), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), plasminogen activator (PA) and total protein, while lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the greater part of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) are present in rabbit tears mainly as products from other ocular tissue sources. In guinea pig tears peroxidase (POD), ACE, PA and less PGE2 are exceted by the lacrimal gland, amylase (AMY), LDH and a substantial amount of PGE2 are added to the guinea pig tears by other ocular tissue sources. Beta-hex and total protein are released from the lacrimal gland and from other ocular tissue sources as well.     

Estrogen up-regulation of metalloproteinase-2 and -9 expression in rabbit lacrimal glands

Increased levels of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and -9 have been found in tear fluids of patients with dry eye disease, suggesting that these MMPs may be implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease. One of the main causes of dry eye disease is lacrimal gland insufficiency. However, the contribution of the lacrimal gland (LG) to the expression and production of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in tears is not known. Since dry eye disease occurs more frequently in women, sex hormones, especially estrogens, have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease. Estrogens have been shown to regulate the synthesis levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in several tissues, Thus, the purpose of these studies was to determine if: (1) rabbit lacrimal glands secrete MMP-2 and MMP-9; (2) MMP-2 and MMP-9 are produced by lacrimal epithelial cells and/or lacrimal lymphocytes; and (3) the expression, activity and level of these enzymes are regulated by sex hormones. Lacrimal epithelial cells (LEC) and lacrimal lymphocytes (LL) from sexually mature New Zealand White female rabbits were isolated, purified and cultured with and without 10(-6)M dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or 10(-6), 10(-8), 10(-9) and 10(-10)M 17beta-estradiol (E2). The culture supernatants were analyzed by zymography and western blotting (WB) using polyclonal anti-human MMP-2 and MMP-9 antibodies. LGs were also collected from rabbits 7 days after being sham-operated, ovariectomized (OVX), OVX treated with 4 mg/kg DHT, and OVX treated with 0.5 mg/kg of E2. LGs were collected and processed for RNA extraction as well as protein determination using WB and immunocytochemistry. The pro-forms of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were detected in primary LEC and LL culture medium by zymography and WB. Pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP-9 were also detected at the gene and protein levels in the lacrimal glands of all four treatment groups, with the highest levels and gene expression found in the estrogen-treated group. These results suggest that both pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP-9 are secreted by the lacrimal gland and appear to be up-regulated by estrogen. The role of the lacrimal MMPs in the pathogenesis of dry eye disease needs to be further investigated.     

Carcinoid tumour in the lacrimal gland

A case of carcinoid tumour in the lacrimal gland is described, thought to be a metastasis from a known primary lesion in the mediastinum. The results of light and transmission electron microscopic examination are presented, and the possibility of the lesion representing a second primary tumour discussed.     

p53bcl-2在泪腺上皮性肿瘤中表达及意义

目的 通过观察p53、bcl-2在泪腺良、恶性肿瘤中表达情况,分析其与泪腺良、恶性肿瘤的临床和组织病理的关系.目的在于进一步探明它们在泪腺良、恶性肿瘤发生、发展中的作用,为泪腺良、恶性肿瘤的鉴别诊断、治疗以及预后判断提供依据.方法 收集手术切除35例泪腺多形性腺瘤,28例泪腺腺样囊性癌,并取手术中切除的正常泪腺组织9例...