Treatment of dry eye by autologous serum application in Sjogren's syndrome

Kazuo Tsubota, Eiki Goto, Hiromi Fujita, Masafumi Ono, Hiroko Inoue, Ichiro Saito, Shigeto Shimmura

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

457 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aim - To evaluate the efficacy of autologous serum application for the treatment of dry eye in Sjogren's syndrome. Methods - The stability of essential components (EGF, vitamin A, and TGF-β) in preserved serum were examined following preservation at 4°C and -20°C. In a primary clinical trial, 12 patients with Sjogren's syndrome were treated with autologous serum (diluted to 20% with sterile saline) for 4 weeks, and vital staining of the ocular surface was compared before and after treatment. The effects of serum on mucin (MUC-1) expression were observed in cultured conjunctival epithelial cells in vitro. Results - EGF, vitamin A, and TGF-β were well preserved for up to 1 month in the refrigerator at 4°C and up to 3 months in the freezer at -20°C. Rose bengal and fluorescein scores improved significantly from the initial scores of 5.3 and 5.6 to 1.7 and 2.5 after 4 weeks, respectively. The additive effect of human serum for cultured conjunctival epithelial cells showed significant MUC-1 upregulation on the cell surface. Conclusion - Autologous serum application is a safe and efficient way to provide essential components to the ocular surface in the treatment of dry eye associated with Sjogren's syndrome.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)390-395
Number of pages6
JournalBritish Journal of Ophthalmology
Volume83
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1999
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ophthalmology
  • Sensory Systems
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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