Proper wound healing is vital for maintenance of corneal integrity and transparency. Corneal epithelial damage is one of the most frequently observed ocular disorders. Because clinical options are limited, further novel treatments are needed to improve clinical outcomes for this type of disease. In the present study, it was found that placental extract-derived dipeptide (JBP485) significantly increased the proliferation and migration of corneal epithelial cells (CECs). Moreover, JBP485 accelerated corneal epithelial wound healing in vivo without inflammation and neovascularization and was found to be effective for the treatment of corneal damage. These data indicate that JBP485 efficiently activates the viability of CECs and has potential as a novel treatment for various kinds of corneal epithelial disease.

The etiology of sarcoidosis is still obscure; however, Mycobacteria and Propionibacterium acnes are considered the most implicated etiological agent for sarcoidosis. To investigate whether P. acnes is an etiological agent for sarcoid uveitis, we analyzed the frequency of P. acnes detected within the biopsied retinas from patients with ocular sarcoidosis by immunohistochemistry with a P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody). Eleven patients (12 eyes) with sarcoid uveitis were enrolled in this study. Eight patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, two patients with non-sarcoid uveitis, and two patients with vitreoretinal lymphoma were enrolled as controls. In the sarcoidosis group, granulomas were mainly observed in the inner retinal layer filled with CD4+ cells and CD68+ cells, indicating the Th1 immune response. P. acnes, identified as round bodies that reacted with the PAB antibody, were present in 10/12 samples (83%) from 9/11 patients (82%) with sarcoidosis. These round bodies were scattered within the retinal granulomas mainly in the inner retinal layer. In the control group, no round bodies were detected. Our results suggested that P. acnes could be associated with sarcoid uveitis. We hypothesize that sarcoid granulomas may be formed by a Th1 immune response to P. acnes hematogenously transmitted to the retina.

Dry eye syndrome (DES), a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface, is one of the most common ocular disorders. Tear film contains ocular mucins and is essential for maintaining the homeostasis of the wet ocular surface. Since there are a limited number of clinical options for the treatment of DES, additional novel treatments are needed to improve the clinical results. In this study, we found that placental extract-derived dipeptide (JBP485) clearly promoted the expression and secretion of gel-forming mucin 5ac (Muc5ac) in rabbit conjunctival epithelium. JBP485 also elevated the expression level of cell surface-associated mucins (Muc1/4/16) in rabbit corneal epithelium. The Schirmer tear test results indicated that JBP485 induced tear secretion in the rabbit model. Moreover, JBP485 clinically improved corneal epithelial damage in a mouse dry eye model. Thus, our data indicate that JBP485 efficiently promoted mucin and aqueous tear secretion in rabbit ocular surface epithelium and has the potential to be used as a novel treatment for DES.

The feasibility of using an autologous tissue‐engineered cultivated nasal mucosal epithelial cell sheet (CNMES) for ocular surface reconstruction was investigated using a novel technique for the culture of nasal mucosal epithelial cells expanded ex vivo from biopsy‐derived human nasal mucosal tissues. The CNMESs were transplanted onto the ocular surfaces of rabbits and the survival of this tissue, including the goblet cells, was confirmed up to 2 weeks.

We report the clinical, light microscopic, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features of a verruciform xanthoma that developed in association with a vulval fibroepithelial polyp. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this association has been reported. Immunohistochemical findings confirmed that the xanthoma cells were of a monocyte/macrophage lineage. In addition to typical histological characteristics, prominent vascular ectasias were detected in the deep dermis at the periphery of this lesion. The ectasias may play a part in pathogenesis.