The role of the mast cell in ocular allergy is becoming understood. As a result, the therapeutic effects of agents that stabilize the mast cell have been evaluated in the treatment of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, atopic keratoconjunctivitis, and giant papillary conjunctivitis. At present, cromolyn sodium is the only available mast cell stabilizer of known effectiveness. Clinical and laboratory investigations of the effectiveness of cromolyn sodium in the treatment of ocular allergy are reviewed in the present article.

Anaphylaxis↗

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Rapid, atraumatic method for obtaining nasal mucus samples.

Disposable cellulose acetate sponges, properly placed in the nose, provide a rapid method of stimulating the production of nasal mucus to be obtained for study. There is little trauma to the nasal mucosa, thus minimizing the risk of contamination of samples with serum or cells. The mucus is not diluted, and therefore, quantitative measurements of immunoglobulins and other substances can be made.

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Edema test for assessing ocular anaphylaxis.

A technique for measuring the increase in conjunctival thickness which accompanies a clinically relevant, topically induced model of ocular anaphylaxis was developed and was compared with the determination of an increase in percent of degranulated mast cells in affected tissue. Twenty rats immunized with egg albumin were topically challenged with egg albumin solution applied to one eye and with phosphate-buffered saline applied to the other eye. Clinical signs of edema and erythema were not seen in ocular tissues undergoing anaphylaxis. However, both conjunctival thickness and percent of degranulated mast cells were significantly greater in antigen-challenged tissues than in buffer-challenged tissues. Amount of edema correlated significantly with amount of mast cell degranulation. Conjunctival thickness served as a reliable indicator of anaphylaxis. The measurement of topically induced anaphylaxis by evaluating the increase in conjunctival thickness was simpler, faster, and less expensive than the evaluation of anaphylaxis by the increase in the percent of degranulated mast cells in the same tissues.

Anaphylaxis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Neural-immune interrelationship: effect of optic, sympathetic, temporofacial, or sensory denervation on the secretory immune system of the lacrimal gland.

Previous research has demonstrated that the nervous system may exert a significant impact on lymphocyte distribution and function in certain mucosal tissues. Given this neural-immune interaction, the present study was designed to evaluate whether ocular nerves might influence the distribution, density, and output of IgA-containing cells in the lacrimal gland. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to one of the following surgical protocols: denervation of the temporofacial, optic, or trigeminal nerves or ablation of the superior cervical ganglion. Denervations were performed on one side and sham-operations on the contralateral side. Additional groups of rats were exposed to bilateral sham or complete optic nerve disruption. Two to four weeks after surgery, tears were collected from individual eyes for the measurement of IgA and protein levels and lacrimal glands were processed for the immunofluorescent identification of IgA-containing cells. Our results showed that a marked heterogeneity is present in the frequency distribution of IgA-containing cells in lacrimal tissue sections of sham-operated rats. Statistical analysis of this distribution showed that the topographical location of IgA-containing cells per section or through the gland was not random. This heterogeneity did not appear to be modified by interrupting various nerves to the eye. Moreover, severance of the temporofacial, optic, or trigeminal nerve supplies or extirpation of the superior cervical ganglion did not significantly alter either the density or total number of IgA-containing cells in the lacrimal gland, as compared to values in contralateral "sham-operated" tissues. In addition, these neural disruptions had no apparent influence on the IgA content or the IgA/protein ratio in tears.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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