Decreased tear lactoferrin concentration in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Abstract

Background/aims-Decreased tear volume in patients with chronic hepatitis C has been reported in the literature. Lactoferrin is abundantly present in human tears, the main source of which is the acini of the lacrimal glands. In this study tear lactoferrin levels were measured to investigate the dry eye condition of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Conclusion-Chronic hepatitis C patients showed both decreased tear volume, and decreased tear lactoferrin concentration. These findings suggest that there may be dysfunction of the lacrimal glands in patients with chronic hepatitis C, which may account for the mild dry eye. (Br J Ophthalmol 1999;83:684-687) Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a principal cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide. Methods-Lactoferrin

Serum Inhibits P. aeruginosa Biofilm Formation on Plastic Surfaces and Intravenous Catheters

“…One of these constituents is lactoferrin, which is abundant in host secretions including milk, tears, and airway secretions [14][15][16][17]. At higher concentrations, lactoferrin binds to LPS and interferes with bacterial growth by sequestering iron [18].…”

Histopathological Studies on Rabbits Infected by Bacteria Causing Infectious Keratitis in Human through Eye Inoculation

“…(1,2,3) Under ideal conditions, there is little or no opportunistic bacterial colonization of the conjunctiva or cornea, because of the washing effect of the tears, (6,7,8) in conjunction with the action of antibacterial proteins and enzymes within the tear film. (9,10,11,12,13) (14,15) The production of lipases and toxins by many of these colonizing bacteria may induce ocular surface cellular damage and destabilization of the lipid layer of the tear film contributing to tear film instability, inflammation, and symptoms of significant ocular irritation. (16) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is usually the most common bacterial pathogen isolated from cases of corneal keratitis.…”

A Protein Dye-Binding Assay on Cellulose Membranes for Tear Protein Quantification

“…1,2 To gain additional insights into this area, during the past few years, a major emphasis has been placed on studying the biochemical composition of the human tear fluid and its eventual alterations in health and disease. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Such studies require analytical procedures that can be applied to the small volumes of tear fluid present in the conjunctival sac and to its low turnover rate, which is normally in the range of 10 mL and 0.1 mL/min, respectively. [9][10][11] Even so, the low abundance of tear fluid has often limited the ophthalmologist to focus on just a few specific biochemical variables and to express the results as the mass of the analyte per unit volume of tear fluid.…”

“…[9][10][11] Even so, the low abundance of tear fluid has often limited the ophthalmologist to focus on just a few specific biochemical variables and to express the results as the mass of the analyte per unit volume of tear fluid. [3][4][5]7,8,[12][13][14][15][16][17] However, the protein content in a sample under study is often an important reference parameter in biochemical analysis. Thus, the presence of a specific analyte in a biologic sample is often expressed as the mass of the analyte per mass (in milligrams) of total protein.…”