Signaling lipids as diagnostic biomarkers for ocular surface cicatrizing conjunctivitis

Metabolomics has been applied to diagnose diseases, predict disease progression, and design therapeutic strategies in various areas of medicine. However, it remains to be applied to the ocular surface diseases, where biological samples are often of limited quantities. We successfully performed proof-of-concept metabolomics assessment of volume-limited cytology samples from a clinical form of chronic inflammatory cicatrizing conjunctivitis, i.e., ocular MMP and discovered metabolic changes of signaling lipid mediators upon disease onset and progression. The metabolomics assessment revealed active oxylipins, lysophospholipids, fatty acids, and endocannabinoids alterations, from which potential biomarkers linked to inflammatory processes were identified. Possible underlying mechanisms such as dysregulated enzyme activities (e.g., lipoxygenases, cytochrome P450, and phospholipases) were suggested which may be considered as potential therapeutic targets in future studies.