Lymphocytic infiltration
of lacrimal gland acini and ducts has been documented as a hallmark of KCS.
The gland is a tear producing gland, and produces about 30 % of the tears, while the main orbital
lacrimal gland produces the rest.
The
orbital lacrimal gland produces 60 % of the tears for the eye, and the third eyelid gland produces 40 % of the tears.
In immune - mediated lacrimal disease, the balance between T - suppressor and T - helper cells plays an important role
in lacrimal gland regulation.
Additional therapeutic effects may be achieved via CsA and tacrolimus» anti-inflammatory effects, stimulatory effect
on lacrimal glands, proliferative effect on mucin - producing conjunctival goblet cells, and inhibitory effect on lacrimal cell apoptosis.
The stem of the T cartilage is surrounded by an
accessory lacrimal gland, which produces a substantial portion of the tear film.
Garg A, Bansal M, Gotoh N, Feng G - S, Zhong J, Wang F, Kariminejad A, Brooks S, Zhang X. Alx4 relays sequential FGF signaling to
induce lacrimal gland morphogenesis.
These particular prostaglandins are suggested in peer - reviewed published literature to reduce ocular surface inflammation, as well as reduce the inflammatory process associated with meibomitis and
reduced lacrimal gland aqueous output.
KCS can also be a congenital condition in dogs when they are born with
poor lacrimal gland function.
The Scripps Research Institute team found «progenitor» cells isolated from
healthy lacrimal glands can improve the appearance and function of diseased tissue.
It is thought that should the main
orbital lacrimal gland be damaged later in life that there is no «backup» for tear production.
«The evaporated tear film on the front of the eye can't be replenished by simply supplying more new tear fluid from
the lacrimal gland,» Braun noted.
Kara developed a mathematical model to simulate the direction tear film travels when entering the eye from
the lacrimal glands above the upper eyelid.
Results of the study showed that the optical - gamma camera was highly effective for imaging lymphatic and thyroid tissue, as well as drainage from the tear ducts, or
lacrimal glands.
If
the lacrimal gland is injured or damaged by aging, pollution or even certain pharmaceutical drugs, a person can experience a debilitating condition called aqueous deficiency dry eye (ADDE)-- sometimes called «painful blindness.»
Further tests suggested that epithelial cell progenitors helped by restoring the connection between cells called myoepithelial contractile cells and
the lacrimal gland's secretory cells, which produce tears.
«This is the first step in developing future therapies for
the lacrimal gland,» said TSRI biologist Helen Makarenkova, who led the study.
A new study in animal models, led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), suggests that the eye's
lacrimal glands can be repaired by injecting a kind of regenerative «progenitor» cell.
The next step in this research will be to study how long the improvement in
the lacrimal gland lasts after progenitor cell injections.
Now a new study in animal models, led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), suggests that
lacrimal glands can be repaired by injecting a kind of regenerative «progenitor» cell.
In this study, the researchers used progenitor cells that were poised to become epithelial tissue, a key component of
the lacrimal gland.
In the new study, Makarenkova and her colleagues looked at whether they could kick start regeneration by injecting progenitor cells into the lobes that make up
the lacrimal gland.
The treated mice showed a significant increase in tear production, indicating — for the first time — that epithelial cell progenitors could repair
the lacrimal gland.
With these cells in hand, the researchers injected them into
the lacrimal glands of mouse models of Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that results in ADDE, dry mouth and other symptoms.
The eye's
lacrimal gland is small but mighty.
LA JOLLA, CA — August 18, 2016 — The eye's
lacrimal gland is small but mighty.
In addition to Makarenkova and Gromova, authors of the study, «
Lacrimal Gland Repair Using Progenitor Cells,» were Dmitry A. Voronov of TSRI, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico - Chemical Biology of the Lomonosov Moscow State University; Miya Yoshida and Suharika Thotakura of TSRI; Robyn Meech of Flinders University; and Darlene A. Dartt of the Schepens Eye Research Institute / Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School.
While the exact cause is not known, something turns on the immune system to attack
the lacrimal gland.
In most cases,
the lacrimal gland will begin adequate tear production.
Other causes include dysfunction of the nerve that runs to
the lacrimal gland (neurogenic KCS) and the rare side - effects of certain medications.
In most dogs, this can be done by administering eye drops that suppress the immune - mediated infiltration of
the lacrimal gland.
When
the lacrimal glands fail to adequately produce tears, the normal defense mechanisms of the eye do not function properly, and the eye becomes irritated and inflamed.
In dogs with neurogenic KCS,
the lacrimal gland will resume tear production only if the underlying neurologic problem can be treated.
The most important long - term treatment for KCS is to attempt to get
the lacrimal gland to start adequate tear production.
The most common cause of inadequate tear secretion is the infiltration of inflammatory cells from the immune system into the cells of
the lacrimal gland.
Until
the lacrimal glands start to work again, tear replacement with drops that keep the eyes hydrated and lubricated is an important initial part of treatment for KCS as well.
Dry eye can be caused by a variety of causes, but the most common cause is an autoimmune destruction of
the lacrimal glands around the eye.
The disease is usually caused by inflammation of
the lacrimal glands, but can also be caused by the toxic effect of certain drugs on the lacrimal glands or by lack of nerve innervation to the lacrimal glands.
In the majority of KCS cases, an underlying etiology is not identified and in these cases it is believed an immune - mediated phenomenon creates inflammation and destruction of
the lacrimal glands.
The lacrimal gland of the third eyelid is held in place by tissue fibers but some individuals have weaker fibers than they should so the gland protrudes.
The lacrimal gland of the third eyelid is held in place by tissue fibers but some individuals have weaker fibers than they should and the gland protrudes.
It is a common eye condition resulting from inadequate production of the aqueous portion of the tear film by
the lacrimal gland and / or gland of the third eyelid gland.
Causes of KCS can include feline Herpes virus, canine distemper, Sulfa - based antibiotic use, trauma to
the lacrimal glands, and cherry - eye surgery.