Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41208970›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2025

NF-κB/IL-6 axis drives impaired corneal wound healing in aqueous-deficient dry eye.

Cuipei Lin, Jiaxin Wu, Yuxin Jing, Jingbin Xie, Jiayan Xiang, Qiwei Fan, Jiangman Liu, Jingheng Du, Xiukui Tan, Zhudan Zhuang and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Cuipei LinInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Jiaxin WuInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Yuxin JingInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Jingbin XieInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Jiayan XiangInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Qiwei FanInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Jiangman LiuInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Jingheng DuInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Xiukui TanInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Zhudan ZhuangInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Yunxia XueInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Ting FuInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Jun LiuInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Zhijie LiInternational Ocular Surface Research Center, Institute of Ophthalmology, and Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Dry eye disease (DED) commonly leads to compromised corneal epithelial integrity and chronic ocular surface inflammation; however, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying impaired corneal healing remain incompletely understood. In this study, we established an aqueous-deficient DED mouse model via extraorbital lacrimal gland excision (LGE) to investigate the cellular and molecular events contributing to delayed corneal repair following epithelial injury. Our results demonstrated significant delays in corneal re-epithelialization and nerve regeneration in aqueous-deficient mice, accompanied by increased infiltration of neutrophils and γδ T cells. Transcriptomic profiling revealed robust activation of NF-κB-dependent inflammatory signaling and IL-6 pathways, alongside marked suppression of genes associated with essential metabolic processes involved in tissue repair. Targeted pharmacological inhibition of NF-κB using caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), or neutralization of IL-6 via topical anti-IL-6 antibody administration, effectively attenuated immune cell infiltration, accelerated epithelial regeneration, and enhanced nerve recovery. Collectively, our findings suggest that NF-κB/IL-6 signaling plays a key role in sustaining inflammation that impairs corneal healing, and that targeting this axis partially improves epithelial and neural outcomes.

Indexed as

CorneaDry Eye SyndromesInterleukin-6NF-kappa BWound HealingAnimalsCaffeic AcidsDisease Models, AnimalEpithelium, CornealLacrimal ApparatusMiceMice, Inbred C57BLSignal TransductionCaffeic AcidsInterleukin-6interleukin-6, mouseNF-kappa Bcorneal wound healingdry eye diseaseIL‐6inflammation mechanismsnerve regenerationNF‐κBre‐epithelialization

Identifiers

PMID41208970
PMCPMC12591958

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.