TRANSIENT RECEPTOR POTENTIAL VANILLOID 1-DEFICIENCY PROTECTS FROM IMMUNE-MEDIATED CORNEAL NERVE DAMAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF DRY EYE

PIZZANO M; VEREERTBRUGGHEN A; SABBIONE F; KEITELMAN I; SHIROMIZU, CM; VERA AGUILA D; FUENTES F; GIORDANO M; TREVANI AS; GALLETTI J

Congreso; Third French-Argentine Immunology Congress ? Reunión Anual Sociedades de Biociencias; 2022

Introduction: Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channelsare involved in neurogenic inflammation and neurodegenerationin non-ocular tissues. TRPV1 channels are activated by inflammatorystimuli and we have reported increased TRPV1 signaling indry eye. Here we hypothesized that TRPV1 channels could play arole in dry eye-associated corneal nerve damage. Methods: Dry eyewas induced for 10 days in 6-8-week-old C57BL/6 (wildtype, wt) andTRPV1KO mice of both sexes by bilateral excision of the extraocularlacrimal glands. Conventional dry eye parameters were assessedalong with corneal nerve function (mechanical sensitivity) and morphology(βIII tubulin staining). Results: Wt and TRPV1KO mice withdry eye had comparable tear deficiency (17±7 vs 23±18%, p=0.4),corneal epithelial damage (MFI 11.8±0.8 vs 11.1±0.6, p=0.6) andconjunctival CD4+ T cell infiltration (7.8±1.4% vs 3.1±0.1%, p>0.05).Also, there was no difference in interferon gamma- (2.85±3.62 vs1.73±2.2, p=0.4) and interleukin 17-producing (2.4±4.6 vs 1.9±5.1,p=0.9) CD4+ T cells in the eye-draining lymph nodes, which arepathogenic in dry eye. Regarding the corneal nerves, TRPV1KOmice had significantly higher corneal mechanical sensitivity thanwt mice at baseline (4.6±0.09 vs 3.75±0.1 cm, p