Curative effect and possible mechanism of taurine on early corneal alkali burns

Abstract

To the Editor: Corneal alkali burns (CABs) have been a difficult problem in clinical treatment for a long time. In severe cases, blindness occurs; hence, research on the repair mechanism underlying corneal injury is particularly important to identify potential therapeutic targets. Alkaliinduced corneal injuries often trigger aggressive aseptic inflammatory responses, which are key to autoimmune responses. [1] However, Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes play an important role in aseptic inflammation. [2] Under stimuli, such as infection or stress, the activated NLRP3 inflammasome not only processes procaspase-1 into mature caspase-1 but also further promotes the maturation and release of interleukin (IL)-1b and IL-18. [3] Taurine (Tau) is widely distributed in ocular structures and is an immune regulator. Tau can maintain the stability of the corneal epithelium and improve the survival rate of corneal epithelial cells through antioxidant effects. [4] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Tau eye drops on CAB and elucidate the mechanism underlying corneal inflammatory responses.

Efficient Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Sulfonated Dihydropyrimidinthione Derivatives for the Treatment of UV‐B‐Induced Corneal Damage

“…In the retina, taurine plays a critical role in photoreceptor development and protects cells against neuronal damage (19). It also can enhance corneal epithelial cell survival by virtue of its maintaining membrane stability and antioxidation (20). Inspired by this close correlation, we applied taurine as a substituent to replace the phosphotyrosine of DHPM 1 with the aim of optimizing molecular structure and improving cytoprotective effect (Fig.…”