Development of Lutein-Containing Eye Drops for the Treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome
Yi-Zhou Chen,
Zhi-Yu Chen,
Yu-Jun Tang,
Cheng-Han Tsai,
Yu-Lun Chuang,
Erh-Hsuan Hsieh,
Lachlan Tucker,
I-Chan Lin,
Ching-Li Tseng
Affiliations
Yi-Zhou Chen
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan
Zhi-Yu Chen
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan
Yu-Jun Tang
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan
Cheng-Han Tsai
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan
Yu-Lun Chuang
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan
Erh-Hsuan Hsieh
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan
Lachlan Tucker
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan
I-Chan Lin
Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei City 23561, Taiwan
Ching-Li Tseng
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan
Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a common ophthalmological disease that decreases tear secretion and causes dryness, photophobia, pain, severe corneal rupture, and even blindness. Ocular and lacrimal gland inflammation is one of the pathological mechanisms underlying DES. Therefore, effective suppression of inflammation is a crucial strategy for the treatment of DES. Lutein, commonly found in healthy foods, has anti-inflammatory effects in corneal or retina-related cells and may be a potential therapy for DES. The addition of lutein to artificial tears (AT) as an eye-drop formulation for DES treatment in a mouse model was studied in the present work. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as a thickener to increase the viscosity of eye drops to prolong drug retention on the ocular surface. A WST-8 assay in human corneal epithelial cells (HCE-2) showed that a concentration of <5 μM lutein (L5) and <1% PVA (P1) maintained the cell viability at 80%. A real-time PCR showed that the inflamed human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) cocultured with L5P1 had downregulated expression of inflammatory genes such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. In a benzalkonium chloride- (BAC) induced DES mouse model, AT/L5P1 could repair damaged corneas, elevate tear secretion, increase the number of goblet cells, and inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, in the cornea. In conclusion, we demonstrate that lutein/PVA as eye drops could prolong the drug ocular retention time and effectively to decrease inflammation in DES mice. Therefore, lutein, obtained from eye drops, has a potential therapeutic role for DES.
