Especially to avoid damage by these inflammatory cells, the eye has to make sure that blood vessels are not straying into areas in the central light pathways. This is because the eye is considered an immune privileged tissue. This reality has made people ask how the eye handles inflammation when it occurs.
Thomas Jefferson University researchers have conducted a new study that helps to explain how the eye responds to inflammation. They mainly studied autoimmune uveitis, an inflammation disease that affects the healthy uveal tissue, but skip the immune privilege of the eye.
Prior studies conducted by Jefferson scientist Sue Menko Ph.D., found that immune cells grabbed onto the lens surface when the eye had acute trauma or chronic inflammation in other parts of the body.
As poised this discovery also emerges some questions while it breaks new ground of proving that immune cells are migrating at the lens surface. Scientists asked themselves as to what these cells serve during this constant surveillance and whether they can decrease inflammation.
Her team’s new research offers a solution to those questions. This work unravels that when inflammation arises, it is the macrophages with immunity –regulating phenotypes and Tregs that migrate to the lens surface. These cells which regulate immunity help in unlocking order and decreasing inflammation. The study also shows that immune cells remain attached to the surface of the lens until the inflammation is over.
In the words of Dr. Menko : There is important meaning in disproving the idea that the eye couldn’t look after itself. This helps to understand how uveitis type of diseases occurs and can be treated in the right time.
Thus the importance from vision preservation ergo the eye must remain inflammation free, the eye is equipped with various ways of doing so.Â
First author of this study is Phuong Lee, MD-PhD who conducted this study in National eye institute and the George Washington University.
This research also demonstrates the importance of appreciating the read-made defences of the eye. That might help researchers to consider better ways of treating the autoimmune uveitis in the future.
In his future studies Dr. Menko plans to find out what attracts immune cells to the lens. She also wants to identify the first alarms that triggered this immune related inflammation in uveitis and other eye swelling conditions.
Reference:
Muse Q. Researchers discover new role of immune cells in eye health Medicalxpress
