Artificial Tears’ Fortification With Contemporary “Anti-Aging” Research Supplements
Published 2023 - 41st Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: PO0819 | DOI: 10.82333/kmh8-px88
Authors: Katerina Papakonstantinou* 1 , Olympia-Paraskevi Tziouvara 1 , Dimitra Kopsini 2 , Maria Emfietzoglou 3 , Haralabia Boleti 4 , Anastasios Charonis 5
1Hellenic Pasteur Institute,Athens ,Greece, 2Athens Vision ,Athens,Greece, 3Athens Vision,Athens ,Greece, 4Hellenic Pasteur Institute,Athens,Greece, 5Athens Vision ,Athens ,Greece
Over-the-counter artificial tears (ATs) are the first-line treatment in patients with dry eye disease. However, some supplements and preservatives contained in ATs may cause corneal and ocular surface toxicity. The purpose of this study was to assess whether commercially available ATs are actually cytotoxic in an established culture model and investigate how known “anti-aging” molecules with vascular endothelial protection properties and/or insulin influence this behaviour.
The experiments were conducted at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute in Athens, Greece.
Primary human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs), purchased from ATCC, were cultured in a serum-free corneal epithelial cell basal medium. The cytotoxic/anti-proliferative effect of different ATs on HCECs was initially assessed. Cell viability was evaluated by the MTT assay and the effect on cell proliferation was studied by the EdU-based Fluorescence Assay (Cell proliferation kit III; EdU-FM, PK-CA724-488FM, Promokine, Heidelberg, Germany). Subsequently, different “anti-aging” supplements were evaluated for their property to prevent/reverse the cytotoxic side effect observed. The beneficial effect of the addition of insulin on HCEC growth was also investigated.
The generated in vitro results showed that ATs can cause significant toxicity on HCECs, which is time- and dose-dependent. This cytotoxic effect was reduced by adding “Anti-Aging” supplements on the ATs. Moreover, the protective effect of anti-aging supplements was further enhanced when the supplements were combined with certain concentrations of insulin. The optimal concentration of insulin in this ex vivo experiment was determined to be 1.6 IU/ml. Considering the expected dilution of the ATs constituents in vivo, the most probable “ideal” concentration of insulin to be used was estimated.
ATs can cause toxicity on the corneal surface cells. This effect can be reduced or reversed with anti-aging supplements and/or insulin. The results of this ex vivo study strongly encourage further investigation in Phase 1 human clinical trials.