Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41979250›Full record

ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2026

Rexinoid NEt-3IB Promotes Resident Macrophage Gene Expression and Mitigates Desiccation-Induced Ocular Surface Disease.

Jehan Alam, Yangluowa Qu, Jianming Shao, Ebru Yaman, Karen Zheng, Hiroki Kakuta, Stephen C Pflugfelder

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2026. 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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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Jehan AlamOcular Surface Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States.
Yangluowa QuOcular Surface Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States.
Jianming ShaoOcular Surface Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States.
Ebru YamanOcular Surface Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States.
Karen ZhengOcular Surface Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States.
Hiroki KakutaLaboratory of Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
Stephen C PflugfelderOcular Surface Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of rexinoid NEt-3IB on desiccating stress-induced dry eye, as well as monocyte/macrophage gene expression and cellular trajectory. Methods: Eyes were topically treated with rexinoid NEt-3IB (5 µM) or vehicle three times a day for 5 days of desiccating stress-induced dry eye. Single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) profiled gene expression in conjunctival immune cells. RNA-seq was also used to evaluate gene expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated, dexamethasone-treated (Dex, 1 µM), or NEt-3IB-treated (1-1000 nM) cultured monocytes. Cellular state trajectory and latent time were inferred with scVelo, and latent-time-associated genes were identified using Monocle 3. Permeability to Oregon Green-labeled dextran was used to assess corneal barrier, and conjunctival goblet cell parameters were measured in periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-stained wholemounts. Results: NEt-3IB significantly stimulated homeostatic, phagocytotic, and anti-inflammatory gene expression and suppressed inflammatory gene signatures in conjunctival monocyte/macrophage cells compared to vehicle (Padj < 0.05). Latent time trajectory analysis and flow cytometry further revealed that NEt-3IB preserved resident macrophage-associated gene and protein expression. Compared to vehicle, corneal labeled dextran uptake was lower (P = 0.001) and conjunctival goblet cell total (P = 0.001) and single-cell (P = 0.01) areas were higher in the NEt-3IB group. The impact of NEt-3IB on differentially expressed genes in cultured monocytes mirrored its effects in vivo. NEt-3IB and dexamethasone suppressed inflammatory mediator expression; however, NEt-3IB enhanced the expression of homeostatic factors, including Igf1 and Il10. Conclusions: Rexinoid NEt-3IB suppresses inflammatory and stimulates homeostatic gene expression in the monocyte/macrophage lineage and desiccation-induced ocular surface disease. Rexinoid therapy may prove to be a novel approach to treat dry eye by stimulating endogenous production of homeostatic/anti-inflammatory factors.

Indexed as

Dry Eye SyndromesGene Expression RegulationMacrophagesAnimalsConjunctivaDesiccationDexamethasoneDisease Models, AnimalFemaleGene ExpressionHumansMonocytesRabbitsDexamethasone

Identifiers

PMID41979250
PMCPMC13089652

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.