Membrane Array Analysis of Tear Proteins in Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid

• DOI: 10.1097/opx.0b013e31821ddc6c
• Publication Date: 2011-05-06T08:41:10Z
• Authors: Matilda F. Chan; Robert Sack; David A. Quigley; Sonal Sathe; Trinka Vijmasi; Shimin Li; Douglas Holsclaw; Erich C. Strauss; Nancy A. McNamara
• Keywords: Aged, 80 and over; Biopsy; Pemphigoid, Benign Mucous Membrane; Protein Array Analysis; Reproducibility of Results; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Tears; Humans; Prospective Studies; Eye Proteins; Conjunctiva; Aged; Follow-Up Studies

To explore non-invasive, protein-based, membrane array technology as a means to evaluate the global immune and angiogenic profile of tear proteins in patients with active ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP).Forty-three proteins consisting of cytokines, angiogenic/growth factors, and immunoinflammatory modulators were measured by membrane array in tear samples of four control patients and four OCP patients during active disease and after treatment.Signals for several distinct and consistent molecular entities were upregulated in all four active OCP tear samples relative to controls. In particular, interleukin-8 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 were elevated during active disease and decreased after systemic immunomodulatory therapy.Protein array analysis may provide a well-tolerated assay to monitor levels of inflammatory markers in the tears of OCP patients in response to therapy.