CYTOKINES IN ANTERIOR EYE CHAMBER LIQUID: THEIR ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEMIC IMMUNE RESPONSE TO OCULAR TISSUE ANTIGENS

Abstract

The work is dedicated to studies of interrelations between the cytokine contents in the liquid from anterior eye chamber (AEC), and development of systemic immune response to ocular tissue antigens, described in terms of an anterior eye chamber-associated immune disturbance (ACAID phenomenon). The immune assays were conducted in parallel, using multiplex cytokine analysis (flow cytometry technique), and leukocyte inhibition migration reaction. Twenty-six patients with different forms of ophthalmic pathology were examined, including cases of uveitis (18), keratouveitis (3), glaucoma (5). It is shown that the reduced TGF-β1 levels and increased concentrations of proinflammatory, chemotactic cytokines in AEC liquid are associated with development of organ-specific immune sensitization.

Keywords

• cytokines
• anterior eye chamber
• organ-specific autoimmunity
• multiplex analysis
• migration inhibition test
• leukocytes
• ophthalmopathology