Therapeutic Effects And Mechanisms Of Deproteinated Calf Blood Extract On Benzalkonium Chloride–Induced Dry Eye In A Mouse Model

Purpose To evaluate the therapeutic effects and possible mechanisms of deproteinated calf blood extract(DCBE) on the mouse dry eye model induced by Benzalkonium Chloride(BAC).Methods 60 C57BL/6 male mice(120 eyes) were selected; dry eyes in mice were induced by dripping with 0.2% benzalkonium chloride solution and the artificially dry environment. On the 14 th day of induction, eyes with similar manifestations of dry eye were selected according to parameters such as breakup time of tear film, corneal fluorescein staining score and inflammatory index, etc., and were randomly divided into four groups: group A, group B, group C and group D. Group A was used as the dry-eye control group, while group B, group C and group D were the solvent control group, the group treated with deproteinized calf blood extractive and the group treated with calf autoserum, respectively. Amount of lacrimal secretion, level of inflammation of cornea, breakup time of tear film and sodium fluorescein staining of corneal epithelium were assessed before treatment and the first day, the 4th day, the 7th day after treatment. After the end of treatment, eyeballs of mice were obtained, and HE and PAS staining, ki-67 immunohistochmistry, k10 and MUC1 immunofluorescent labeling were performed; in situ apoptosis detection was performed to examine the apoptosis in corneal epithelium and western blot was used to detect the expression level of k10 in corneal and conjunctival tissues; then differences among all the groups were analyzed.Result Finally, 72 eyes were selected for the treatment experiment, with 18 eyes in each group. Statistical results showed that deproteinized calf blood extractive could significantly prolong the breakup time of tear film of mice with dry eyes, decrease their corneal fluorescein staining scores and their inflammatory indexes. Deproteinized calf blood extractive could also reduce the apoptosis of corneal epithelial cells, decrease corneal squamous metaplasia, accelerate the repairs of corneal epithelium, increase the number of goblet cells and keep the stability of tear film.Conclusion Deproteinized calf blood extractive plays a certain role in treatment of dry eye mouse models induced by benzalkonium chloride and the artificially dry environment, and the mechanism may relate to factors that deproteinized calf blood extractive can provide energy for cells in the basal layer of corneal epithelium, promote the repairs of corneal epithelium, increase the expression of mucins in cornea and keep the stability of tear film, etc.