Abstract
Purpose
To use synthesized onion lachrymatory factor (SOLF) to investigate age-related changes in reflex-tear secretion and ocular-surface sensation.
Methods
We separated 91 healthy volunteers into four groups: groups A, age 20–29 years; B, 30–39; C, 40–49; and D, older than 50 years. We exposed one eye of each subject to SOLF and measured the elapsed time until the subject’s limit of irritation tolerance (TLI) was reached and an increase in the tear meniscus radius (ΔR). After the SOLF stimulus, corneal sensitivity was examined by Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometry (CB), and reflex-tear secretion was examined by the Schirmer I-test (ST).
Results
TLI was significantly shorter in group A than in the other groups (P < 0.0001), and the groups B and D also differed significantly from each other (P = 0.0013). The increase in ΔR was significantly greater in group A than in group C (P = 0.0306) or D (P < 0.0001), and groups B (P = 0.0002) and C (P = 0.0308) also differed significantly from group D. There were no significant intergroup differences in the CB and ST results.
Conclusions
An age-related decrease in reflex-tear secretion and ocular-surface sensation was revealed by the SOLF test but could not be detected by either CB or the ST.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Belmonte C, Aracil A, Acosta MC, et al. Nerves and sensations from the eye surface. Ocul Surf 2004;2:248–253.
Stern ME, Beuerman RW, Fox RI, et al. The pathology of dry eye: the interaction between the ocular surface and lacrimal glands. Cornea 1998;17:584–589.
Selinger DS, Selinger RC, Reed WP. Resistance to infection of the external eye: the role of tears. Surv Ophthalmol 1979;24:33–38.
Gachon AM, Richard J, Dastugue B. Human tears: normal protein pattern and individual protein determinations in adults. Curr Eye Res 1982;2:301–308.
Ohashi Y, Motokura M, Kinoshita Y, et al. Presence of epidermal growth factor in human tears. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1989;30:1879–1882.
van Setten G, Schultz G. Transforming growth factor-alpha is a constant component of human tear fluid. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 1994;232:523–526.
Stern ME, Gao J, Siemasko KF, et al. The role of the lacrimal functional unit in the pathophysiology of dry eye. Exp Eye Res 2004;78:409–416.
Schirmer O. Studien zur Phisiologie und Pathologie der Traenenabsonderung und Traenenabfuhr. Graefes Arch Klin Exp Ophthalmol 1903;56:197–291.
Wright JC, Meger GE. A review of the Schirmer test for tear production. Arch Ophthalmol 1962;67:564–565.
McGill JI, Liakos GM, Goulding N, et al. Normal tear protein profiles and age-related changes. Br J Ophthalmol 1984;68: 316–320.
Mathers WD, Lane JA, Zimmerman MB. Tear film changes associated with normal aging. Cornea 1996;15:229–234.
Xu KP, Yagi Y, Toda I, et al. Tear function index. A new measure of dry eye. Arch Ophthalmol 1995;113:84–88.
Nava A, Barton K, Monroy DC, et al. The effects of age, gender, and fluid dynamics on the concentration of tear film epidermal growth factor. Cornea 1997;16:430–438.
Lawrenson JG, Ruskell GL. Investigation of limbal touch sensitivity using a Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer. Br J Ophthalmol 1993;77:339–343.
Roszkowska AM, Colosi P, Ferreri FM, et al. Age-related modifications of corneal sensitivity. Ophthalmologica 2004;218:350–355.
Imai S, Tsuge N, Tomotake M, et al. Plant biochemistry: an onion enzyme that makes the eyes water. Nature 2002;419:685.
Block E, Gillies JZ, Gillies CW, et al. Allium chemistry: microwave spectroscopic identification, mechanism of formation, synthesis, and reactions of (E,Z)-propanethial S-oxide, the lachrymatory factor of the onion (Allium cepa). J Am Chem Soc 1996;118:7492–7501.
Yokoi N, Bron A, Tiffany J, et al. Reflective meniscometry: a noninvasive method to measure tear meniscus curvature. Br J Ophthalmol 1999;83:92–97.
Yokoi N, Bron AJ, Tiffany JM, et al. Reflective meniscometry: a new field of dry eye assessment. Cornea 2000;19:S37–43.
Yokoi N, Bron AJ, Tiffany JM, et al. Relationship between tear volume and tear meniscus curvature. Arch Ophthalmol 2004;122:1265–1269.
Maruyama K, Yokoi N, Takamata A, et al. Effect of environmental conditions on tear dynamics in soft contact lens wearers. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2004;45:2563–2568.
Belmonte C, Garcia-Hirschfeld J, Galler J. Neurobiology of ocular pain. Prog Retin Eye Res 1997;16:117–156.
Belmonte C, Acosta MC, Galler J. Neural basis of sensation in intact and injured corneas. Exp Eye Res 2004;78:513–525.
Tsubota K. The importance of the Schirmer test with nasal stimulation. Am J Ophthalmol 1991;111:106–108.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Higashihara, H., Yokoi, N., Aoyagi, M. et al. Using synthesized onion lachrymatory factor to measure age-related decreases in reflex-tear secretion and ocular-surface sensation. Jpn J Ophthalmol 54, 215–220 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-009-0786-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-009-0786-0