Mucosal microvilli in dry eye patients with chronic GVHD

• Published in: Bone marrow transplantation (Basingstoke) Vol. 47; no. 3; pp. 416 - 425
• Main Authors: Tatematsu, Y, Ogawa, Y, Shimmura, S, Dogru, M, Yaguchi, S, Nagai, T, Yamazaki, K, Kameyama, K, Okamoto, S, Kawakami, Y, Tsubota, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.03.2012; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adult; Anatomy; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Bone marrow; Bone marrow, stem cells transplantation. Graft versus host reaction; CD8 antigen; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - cytology; Cell Biology; Conjunctiva; Conjunctiva - immunology; Cytology; Development and progression; Dry Eye Syndromes; Electron micrographs; Eye; Female; Glycocalyx; Glycocalyx - metabolism; Goblet cells; Graft versus host reaction; Graft vs Host Disease - immunology; Hematology; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Immunohistochemistry - methods; Internal Medicine; Light microscopy; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metaplasia; Micrography; Microscopy - methods; Microvilli - metabolism; Middle Aged; Mucin; Mucosa; Mucous membrane; Mucous Membrane - metabolism; Optical microscopy; original-article; Public Health; Secretory vesicles; Sjogren's syndrome; Sjogren's Syndrome - immunology; Stem cell transplantation; Stem Cells; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; Vesicles; microvilli; secretory vesicle; chronic GVHD; ocular surface glycocalyx; dry eye; mucosal membrane; Human; Vesicle; Immunopathology; Graft versus host disease; Hematology; Stem cell; Mucosa; Hematopoietic cell; Microvilli; Eye; Visual system; Dry eye syndrome; Eye disease; Chronic; Dry eye
• ISSN: 0268-3369; 1476-5365; 1476-5365
• DOI: 10.1038/bmt.2011.89

The ocular surface is a frequent target tissue of mucosal chronic GVHD (cGVHD). We investigated the histopathological features of the conjunctival microvilli in patients with cGVHD. Conjunctival tissue specimens from patients with cGVHD or Sjögren's syndrome (SS) or from healthy individuals were examined by light microscopy and EM, impression cytology, and immunohistochemistry. The cGVHD conjunctivae showed significantly more metaplasia and fewer goblet cells than the SS and normal conjunctivae. Abundant CD8 + T cells infiltrated the basal epithelia in the cGVHD conjunctiva. The microvilli per standard epithelial unit and the secretory vesicles were counted by analyzing electron micrographs. The mean number of mucosal microvilli was significantly lower in the cGVHD than that in the SS or normal specimens, and the microvilli were significantly shorter, with a smaller height–width ratio. The mean number of secretory vesicles was also significantly lower, and the membrane-spanning mucin thinner, in the cGVHD compared with the SS and normal specimens. Thus, the conjunctival mucosal microvilli of cGVHD patients were significantly different in number and morphology from those of SS and normal subjects. These may be important factors affecting the stability of the tear-film layer and its contribution to cGVHD-related dry eye.