Human Meibum Age, Lipid-Lipid Interactions and Lipid Saturation in Meibum from Infants. Int J Mol Sci 2017 Aug 28;18(9)
Date
08/29/2017Pubmed ID
28846660Pubmed Central ID
PMC5618511DOI
10.3390/ijms18091862Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85028557050 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 32 CitationsAbstract
Tear stability decreases with increasing age and the same signs of instability are exacerbated with dry eye. Meibum lipid compositional changes with age provide insights into the biomolecules responsible for tear film instability. Meibum was collected from 69 normal donors ranging in age from 0.6 to 68 years of age. Infrared spectroscopy was used to measure meibum lipid phase transition parameters. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure lipid saturation. Increasing human meibum lipid hydrocarbon chain unsaturation with age was related to a decrease in hydrocarbon chain order, cooperativity, and in the phase transition temperature. The change in these parameters was most dramatic between 1 and 20 years of age. Meibum was catalytically saturated to determine the effect of saturation on meibum lipid phase transition parameters. Hydrocarbon chain saturation was directly related to lipid order, phase transition temperature, cooperativity, changes in enthalpy and entropy, and could account for the changes in the lipid phase transition parameters observed with age. Unsaturation could contribute to decreased tear film stability with age.
Author List
Sledge S, Henry C, Borchman D, Yappert MC, Bhola R, Ramasubramanian A, Blackburn R, Austin J, Massey K, Sayied S, Williams A, Georgiev G, Schikler KNAuthor
Aparna Ramasubramanian MD Associate Professor in the Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAged
Aging
Female
Humans
Infant
Lipid Metabolism
Male
Meibomian Glands
Middle Aged