Posters

Effect of probiotics treatment on dry eyes in a mouse model of Sjögren’s syndrome

Poster Details

First Author: S.Choi SOUTH KOREA

Co Author(s):    J. Oh   J. Ryu   H. Jeong   K. Kim   S. Im   M. Kim     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To investigate effects of oral administration of probiotics on dry eyes in a Sjögren mouse model.

Setting:

Laboratory of Ocular Regenerative Medicine and Immunology, Seoul Artificial Eye Center, Seoul National University Hospital Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.

Methods:

12-weeks-old NOD.B10.H2b mice were used. After pre-treatment of antibiotics for 5 days, either phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or IRT5 probiotics consisting of 1x109 colony forming unit of five strains was gavaged orally for 3 weeks. Clinical manifestations were evaluated with phenol red thread test and corneal dye staining. Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) for cornea, conjunctiva, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting for lymph nodes (LN) were performed. The feces before and after treatment were analyzed for microorganisms. Proteins of extra lacrimal glands that differ significantly between the IRT5 and PBS groups were selected and analyzed using bioinformatic tools.

Results:

Ocular staining score was significantly decreased and tear secretion was increased in IRT5 treated mice. In the submandibular LN, the percentage of CD4 T cells and IFNγ-secreting CD8 T cells were decreased, but regulatory T cells were increased after IRT5 treatment. RT-PCR showed no significant differences of GM-CSF, IL-23, IL-10, IL-17 in cornea and conjunctiva. In the fecal analysis, microbial diversity was increased, and the butyrate-producing strain, Lachnospiraceae, was more abundant in the IRT5 treated group. In proteomic analysis, the proteins involved in the immune-related pathway were decreased, while the proteins involved in the transport pathway were increased.

Conclusions:

In the experimental model of Sjögren syndrome, it is thought that the increase of transport proteins and the decrease of immune related proteins by IRT5 treatment are involved in the regulation mechanism related to the improvement of clinical manifestations.

Financial Disclosure:

None