Evidence mapPaperPMID 40664763Full record

ArticleEye (London, England)2025

Tear proteomics reveals expressed proteins and potential pathways associated with diabetic keratopathy.

Zixiang Chen, Jiali Li, Yingli Li, Lifang Liang, Xiaohe Lu, Yanyan Zhong

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Article in Eye (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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6 authors.

Zixiang ChenDepartment of Ophthalmology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-4960-6140
Jiali LiDepartment of Ophthalmology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-1753-5647
Yingli LiDepartment of Ophthalmology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1862-7947
Lifang LiangDepartment of Ophthalmology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4707-2397
Xiaohe LuDepartment of Ophthalmology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China. luxh63@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2173-7290
Yanyan ZhongDepartment of Ophthalmology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China. zhongyanyan07@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1968-7300

Funding

Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Project 202002020046Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Guangdong Natural Science Foundation) 2022A1515012346
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic keratopathy (DK). The pathophysiological mechanisms of DK and associated biomarkers remain unclear. However, tear analysis provides crucial insights into DK. Thus, we conducted a quantitative proteomic analysis of tears from DK patients to identify differentially expressed proteins and potential pathways associated with DK.

methodsThis prospective case-controlled study included patients admitted to Zhujiang Hospital between October 2022 and February 2023. We examined 22 eyes with DK and 11 control eyes without DK. General characteristics and dry eye-related features were recorded, including those observed using ocular surface analysis, conjunctival impression cytology, and tear ferning tests. Tear fluid was collected using Schirmer strips after ensuring group similarity in confounders. Proteins were analysed through four-dimensional label-free mass spectrometry. Differential proteins were subjected to analyses of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. A protein-protein interaction network map was constructed.

resultsOf the 2733 proteins identified, 313 (156 upregulated and 157 downregulated) differentially expressed proteins were screened. GO analysis revealed that these differentially expressed proteins mainly participated in mRNA decay, nuclear transcription, and receptor-mediated endocytosis. KEGG analysis showed that these differentially expressed proteins could be involved in pathways, such as arginine biosynthesis, extracellular matrix-receptor interactions.

conclusionsArginine biosynthesis and extracellular matrix-receptor interactions may be involved in DK pathogenesis, and VDAC3 may be a potential biomarker for DK. These findings would enhance the understanding of DK among ophthalmologists as well as help in developing novel strategies for its treatment.

Indexed as

Corneal DiseasesEye ProteinsProteomicsTearsAdultAgedBiomarkersCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesBiomarkersEye Proteinstear proteins

Identifiers

PMID40664763
PMCPMC12402324

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.