No consequences of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency on the severity of scopolamine-induced dry eye
Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2010-12-16; 249(4): 547-557
DOI: 10.1007/s00417-010-1576-6
Read on PubMed
1. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2011 Apr;249(4):547-57. doi:
10.1007/s00417-010-1576-6. Epub 2010 Dec 16.
No consequences of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency on the
severity of scopolamine-induced dry eye.
Viau S(1), Pasquis B, Maire MA, Fourgeux C, Grégoire S, Acar N, Bretillon L,
Creuzot-Garcher CP, Joffre C.
Author information:
(1)Eye and Nutrition Research Group, UMR CSGA INRA – CNRS, Université de
Bourgogne, Dijon, France.
PURPOSE: Epidemiological studies suggest that dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty
acids (PUFAs) may protect against dry eye. This study aimed to evaluate whether a
dietary deficiency in n-3 PUFAs may increase the severity of the pathology in a
scopolamine-induced model of dry eye in the rat.
METHODS: Lewis rats of three consecutive generations were bred under a balanced
diet or a diet deprived of n-3 PUFAs. Dry eye was experimentally induced by
continuous scopolamine delivery in female animals from the third generation of
both groups. After 10 days of treatment, the clinical signs of ocular dryness
were evaluated in vivo using fluorescein staining. MHC II and the rat mucin
rMuc5AC were immunostained on ocular sphere cryosections. The transcript levels
of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis
factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ were quantified in the exorbital lacrimal
glands (LG) and in the conjunctiva using reverse transcription followed by
polymerase chain reaction. Lipids were extracted from the exorbital LG for fatty
acid analysis of the phospholipids using gas chromatography.
RESULTS: When compared to control animals, the scopolamine treatment induced an
increase in the cornea fluorescein staining score (from 0.5 ± 0.0 to 2.5 ± 1.0
arbitrary units (AU) for the balanced diet and from 1.2 ± 0.8 to 2.6 ± 0.5 AU for
the n-3 PUFA-deficient diet); a decrease in rMuc5AC immunostaining in the
conjunctival epithelium (-34% for the balanced diet and -23% for the n-3
PUFA-deficient diet); an increase in the LG transcript levels of TNF-α for the
balanced diet and of TNF-α and IFN-γ for the deficient diet; an increase in the
conjunctival transcript levels of IL-1β and IL-6 for the deficient diet; an
increase in arachidonic acid (AA) and in the ∆5-desaturase index (ratio of AA to
dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid) in the exorbital LG for both diets. When compared to
the balanced diet, the n-3 PUFA-deficient diet induced an increase in the LG
transcript levels of IL-6 for the control animals and of TNF-α for the control
and dry eye animals as well as an increase in the conjunctival transcript levels
of IL-6 for the dry eye animals. There was no significant diet difference in
fluorescein staining, rMuc5AC, and MHC II immunostaining scores.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that an n-3 PUFA deficiency does not increase the
severity of dry eye in a rat model of dry eye.
DOI: 10.1007/s00417-010-1576-6
PMID: 21161262 [Indexed for MEDLINE]