Animal studies always make me grimace. But I do like to highlight them now and then just to point out the types of research going on. Those who get frustrated at too much attention to symptom control and nothing targeting more fundamental issues related to causes - or even, dare I say, pursuing actual cures - may appreciate knowing that, yes, research is being done on how we might improve the lacrimal (tear) glands themselves.
Another reason I wanted to point out this study is that so much of what’s been going on in the most visible parts of the dry eye world relate to the meibomian glands. While MGD really is responsible for an awful lot of dry eye issues, the lacrimal glands are key to many of the most severe types of dry eye and need as much attention as possible.
The Effect of Buddleja officinalis Maxim Eye Drops on Morphology and Apoptosis in Lacrimal Gland of Experimental Dry Eye Rabbit Model. (Qin et al, Journal of Ophthalmology, February 2019.)
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Buddleja officinalis Maxim eye drops on morphology and apoptosis in lacrimal glands of the experimental dry eye rabbit model. A total of thirty-six male rabbits were divided into six study groups, consisting of the control group and the dry eye rabbit model group (without any treatment), the dry eye rabbit model group treated with testosterone, and the dry eye rabbit model group treated with different concentrations of Buddleja officinalis Maxim eye drops (1.0 mg/ml, 1.5 mg/ml and 3.0 mg/ml). The lacrimal glands were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Buddleja officinalis Maxim eye drops can improve the morphological structure of the lacrimal gland in the dry eye model of castrated rabbits. The average optical density values of PI3K, Akt, and caspase-9 protein in the lacrimal gland tissue of the 3 mg/ml Buddleja officinalis Maxim eye drops group were significantly different from those in the model group (P < 0.01) and similar to the testosterone control group and the control group (P > 0.05). Buddleja officinalis Maxim eye drops can improve the morphological structure of the lacrimal gland in the dry eye model of castrated rabbits.