Dry eye and tear dysfunction are common ocular disorders that cause cornea barrier disruption resulting in a poorly lubricated and irregular cornea epithelium, eye irritation and blurred vision. Increased levels and activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly MMP-9, have been detected in the tears and ocular surface epithelial and inflammatory cells in dry eye. MMPs have been found to participate in disruption of tight junctions in the apical cornea epithelium leading to their accelerated desquamation and barrier disruption. This review summarizes evidence showing the contribution of MMPs to dry eye pathogenesis and their roles as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Keywords: matrix metalloproteinase, dry eye, keratitis sicca, cornea, barrier function, Sjögren syndrome
Dry eye overviewDry eye and tear dysfunction are common ocular disorders that cause cornea barrier disruption resulting in a poorly lubricated and irregular cornea epithelium, eye irritation and blurred vision. It affects millions of people worldwide and is one of the most frequent conditions for which patients seek eye care.1 Aging and female sex are significant risk factors for dry eye which increases in prevalence around the fifth decade, with further increase every decade thereafter.2-13 Prevalence of dry eye varies from 2% to 50%, depending on the population studied and the diagnostic criteria for dry eye (symptom questionnaire vs. objective signs). [1][2][3]6,7,[9][10][11][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] There is scarce information about the natural history of dry eye, but there is a recognized disconnection between signs and symptoms; patients tend to be more symptomatic at early stages.24,25 Dry eye causes corneal irregularity [26][27][28] and decreases functional vision by altering contrast sensitivity [29][30][31] and, therefore, decreases quality of life with a significant burden on the individual as well as the society. 23,[32][33][34][35] A meta-analysis of 22 published studies showed increased odds ratio for depression and anxiety in patients with ocular Sjögren syndrome (SS). 36 There is increased evidence that dry eye is an inflammatory disease, and this review will focus on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their role in the pathogenesis of dry eye.
Cornea barrier disruption is a feature of dry eyeAs the principal lens of the eye, the cornea has unique features to maintain its transparency and smooth surface that include a lack of blood vessels and a multilayered stratified, non-cornifying epithelium. The differentiated apical epithelial cells produce