Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
203,234 studies31 sourcesUpdated 37 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDInternational Journal of Ophthalmology

Distinct tear cytokine profile and ocular surface phenotype in primary biliary cholangitis patients with Sjögren's syndrome

  • Fang Ruan1,2
  • Wen-Tao Peng2
  • Lian-Yong Xie2
  • Ying Han3
  • Bin Xu4
  • Wen-Jun Kong2
  • Ying Jie1
4 affiliations
  1. 1Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Key Laboratory, Beijing 100730, China
  2. 2Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing You'An Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
  3. 3Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Beijing You'An Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
  4. 4Department of Hepatology and Immunology, Beijing You'An Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

AIM: To compare the ocular surface phenotype and tear cytokine profile of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patients with and without concomitant Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). METHODS: This case-control study enrolled 21 PBC patients with SS (PBC-SS group), 23 PBC patients without SS (PBC-only group), and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants underwent standardized ocular surface assessments including Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, lipid layer thickness (LLT), incomplete blink rate, tear meniscus height (TMH), non-invasive tear film breakup time (NIBUT), meibomian gland loss (MGL), Schirmer I test, and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS). Tear concentrations of six cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)] were measured using a customized ultra-sensitive quantitative antibody array (QAA-CUST) platform. RESULTS: The three groups were comparable in terms of age (54.2±8.6, 52.8±9.3, and 53.5±8.9y, respectively; P=0.873) and gender distribution (female predominance: 100%, 91.3%, and 95%; P=0.412). Compared to PBC-only patients, the PBC-SS group exhibited significantly worse ocular surface parameters, including higher OSDI scores (45.6±12.3 vs 28.4±9.7), lower Schirmer I values (3.8±2.1 vs 7.6±3.2 mm/5min), reduced TMH (0.18±0.06 vs 0.22±0.05 mm), and shorter NIBUT (4.2±1.8 vs 6.2±2.0s), all P<0.001. Both PBC groups showed reduced LLT and increased MGL compared to healthy controls (P<0.05), while CFS scores were similarly elevated in both PBC groups versus controls (P<0.001). Tear cytokine analysis revealed significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-8, and VCAM-1, and lower levels of IL-10 in the PBC-SS group compared to the PBC-only group (all P<0.05). VEGF was elevated in both PBC groups versus controls (P<0.05). In PBC-SS patients, VCAM-1 demonstrated the strongest correlations with Schirmer I values (ρ=-0.71, P<0.001) and CFS scores (ρ=0.68, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared to PBC-only patients, PBC patients with SS exhibit a distinct and more severe ocular surface phenotype characterized by pronounced aqueous tear deficiency and a unique tear inflammatory signature with elevated VCAM-1, IL-6, IL-8 and reduced IL-10. Tear cytokine profiling, particularly VCAM-1, may serve as a valuable non-invasive tool for identifying SS comorbidity in PBC patients and monitoring disease severity.

Related

  1. Blood Cytokine Profiling Reveals Distinct Inflammatory Signatures in Phenotypes A and B of Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS; formerly PCOS).
    L. P. Patra, B. S. Johnson, K. P. Jayakrishnan +2
    medRxivPreprintAll rights reservedFull textEndocrinology & metabolismmedRxiv
  2. Beyond hemodynamic failure: a distinct inflammatory cytokine profile in cardiogenic shock complicating acute coronary syndrome
    Ankur Mittal, Kraticka Singhal, Akash Batta +5
    Future CardiologyPeer-reviewedLicence not statedFull textCardiovascular medicinePMC
  3. INTEGRATED IMMUNOPHENOTYPING REVEALS DISTINCT MULTICOMPARTMENT IMMUNE SIGNATURES ASSOCIATED WITH CYTOKINE RELEASE SYNDROME FOLLOWING ANTI-CD19 CAR-T CELL THERAPY
    Mariana Soares GOMES, Arianne Fagotti GUSMãO, Larissa Campos SOUZA +15
    Hematology, Transfusion and Cell TherapyPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textOncologyDOAJ
  4. CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte responses and cytokine profiles in visceral leishmaniasis patients following effective treatment in distinct transmission settings in Bihar, India
    Rahul Tiwari, Siddharth Sankar Singh, Sarita Singh +6
    Frontiers in ImmunologyPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textEpidemiology & public healthCrossrefEurope PMCPMC
  5. Weil's Syndrome Masquerading as Acute Cholangitis: A Case Report of a Farmer With Leptospirosis
    Ahmed Ali Shaikh, Fiza Shaikh, Saad Arshad +3
    Clinical case reportsPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ruan2026distinct,
  title = {{Distinct tear cytokine profile and ocular surface phenotype in primary biliary cholangitis patients with Sjögren's syndrome}},
  author = {Fang Ruan and Wen-Tao Peng and Lian-Yong Xie and Ying Han and Bin Xu and Wen-Jun Kong and Ying Jie},
  journal = {International Journal of Ophthalmology},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.18240/ijo.2026.11.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.18240/ijo.2026.11.14},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Distinct tear cytokine profile and ocular surface phenotype in primary biliary cholangitis patients with Sjögren's syndrome
AU  - Fang Ruan
AU  - Wen-Tao Peng
AU  - Lian-Yong Xie
AU  - Ying Han
AU  - Bin Xu
AU  - Wen-Jun Kong
AU  - Ying Jie
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/02
JO  - International Journal of Ophthalmology
DO  - 10.18240/ijo.2026.11.14
UR  - https://doi.org/10.18240/ijo.2026.11.14
AB  - AIM: To compare the ocular surface phenotype and tear cytokine profile of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patients with and without concomitant Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). METHODS: This case-control study enrolled 21 PBC patients with SS (PBC-SS group), 23 PBC patients without SS (PBC-only group), and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants underwent standardized ocular surface assessments including Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, lipid layer thickness (LLT), incomplete blink rate, tear meniscus height (TMH), non-invasive tear film breakup time (NIBUT), meibomian gland loss (MGL), Schirmer I test, and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS). Tear concentrations of six cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)] were measured using a customized ultra-sensitive quantitative antibody array (QAA-CUST) platform. RESULTS: The three groups were comparable in terms of age (54.2±8.6, 52.8±9.3, and 53.5±8.9y, respectively; P=0.873) and gender distribution (female predominance: 100%, 91.3%, and 95%; P=0.412). Compared to PBC-only patients, the PBC-SS group exhibited significantly worse ocular surface parameters, including higher OSDI scores (45.6±12.3 vs 28.4±9.7), lower Schirmer I values (3.8±2.1 vs 7.6±3.2 mm/5min), reduced TMH (0.18±0.06 vs 0.22±0.05 mm), and shorter NIBUT (4.2±1.8 vs 6.2±2.0s), all P<0.001. Both PBC groups showed reduced LLT and increased MGL compared to healthy controls (P<0.05), while CFS scores were similarly elevated in both PBC groups versus controls (P<0.001). Tear cytokine analysis revealed significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-8, and VCAM-1, and lower levels of IL-10 in the PBC-SS group compared to the PBC-only group (all P<0.05). VEGF was elevated in both PBC groups versus controls (P<0.05). In PBC-SS patients, VCAM-1 demonstrated the strongest correlations with Schirmer I values (ρ=-0.71, P<0.001) and CFS scores (ρ=0.68, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared to PBC-only patients, PBC patients with SS exhibit a distinct and more severe ocular surface phenotype characterized by pronounced aqueous tear deficiency and a unique tear inflammatory signature with elevated VCAM-1, IL-6, IL-8 and reduced IL-10. Tear cytokine profiling, particularly VCAM-1, may serve as a valuable non-invasive tool for identifying SS comorbidity in PBC patients and monitoring disease severity.
SN  - 2222-3959
SN  - 2227-4898
ER  -