Ricerc@Sapienza

Background. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a superfamily of ion channels that serve as polymodal cell sensors for diverse chemical and physical stimuli in numerous cell types. Much of our knowledge on the role of TRP channels in the pathophysiology of ocular surface diseases is incomplete and there is no Literature on conjunctival expression of TRPs in the diseased human conjunctiva. Understanding TRP function and polymodal regulation associated to pain and neuroinflammation of the ocular surface represents a challenging goal.
Purpose. The present project aims to evaluate the expression of TRPV1/V4 and TRPM8 in the conjunctiva of patients diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome (SS), neurotrophic keratitis (NK) and vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) compared to a group of healthy subjects, and correlations with clinical parameters.
Design. Prospective, cross-sectional study.
Methods. Thirty patients diagnosed with ocular surface disorders including 10 patients diagnosed with SS, 10 patients diagnosed with NK and 10 patients diagnosed with VKC, and 10 healthy subjects will be subjected to conjunctival impression cytology to evaluate the protein expression of TRPV1/V4 and TRPM8. Participants will also undergo complete clinical and instrumental ophthalmological evaluation including corneal confocal microscopy, in order to collect functional and morphological parameters.
Results. Levels of TRPV1/4 and TRPM8 will be evaluated in the collected conjunctiva epithelium samples. Correlation analyses between TRPs profiles observed in the conjunctival samples and clinical parameters will be evaluated. Conjunctival characterization of TRPs in SS, NK and VKC con represent an innovative and indispensable area of interest to clarify the pathogenesis of these diseases associated to pain, dryness, and inflammation of the ocular surface. This study will offer potential biomarkers of ocular surface disease as well as promising targets for the development of therapeutics.