An American study has revealed new knowledge about the eye’s natural defence against uveitis and inflammation.
The eye is an immune-privileged tissue because of the need to keep blood vessels away from the central pathway of light and to restrict entry of inflammatory cells that could cause damage.
This has prompted questions about how the eye manages inflammation when it occurs.
A new study led by researchers at Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University has revealed insights into how the eye handles inflammation, particularly in autoimmune uveitis, an inflammatory disease that bypasses the eye’s immune privilege and can damage healthy eye tissue.
Previous studies by Jefferson researcher Dr Sue Menko, PhD, revealed that immune cells populate the surface of the lens in response to acute injury and prolonged inflammation in other regions of the eye.
This was the first demonstration of immune cells recruited to the lens surface, but it also raised questions about their role in ongoing surveillance, and whether they may help resolve the inflammation.
Her team’s latest study, published in The American Journal of Pathology, answers these questions.
The researchers found that macrophages with an immunoregulatory phenotype and Tregs are the immune cells actively recruited to the lens surface during inflammation. These immunoregulatory cells help restore balance and reduce inflammation. They also found that these immune cells remain on the lens surface until the inflammation is resolved.
“Debunking the thought that the eye could not care for itself is a big deal,” says Menko.
“This helps us understand disease processes like uveitis and how they’re resolved in the eye. Maintaining a non-inflammatory condition in the eye is crucial to preserve vision, and we now know that the eye has inherent mechanisms to do that.”
Researchers from the National Eye Institute and George Washington University also contributed to the study.
The study highlights the importance of understanding the eye’s natural defences, which could eventually lead to more effective treatment strategies for autoimmune uveitis.
The next steps in Dr Menko’s research focus on uncovering the mechanisms that recruit immune cells to the lens and identifying the earliest alert systems that trigger this immunoregulatory inflammation in uveitis and other inflammatory eye conditions.
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