PURPOSE To investigate the association between levels of MMP-9, a common marker of inflammation in tears, and changes to the meibomian glands accompanying soft contact lens (CL) wear. METHODS Flush tears were collected from: (1) three groups of CL wearers who had worn CLs on a daily basis for different durations (Short: 2 ± 1 years, Moderate: 5 ± 1 years and Long experience: 10 ± 2 years); (2) a group of previous CL wearers (PWs) who had ceased wear for at least 6 months; and (3) healthy non-wearers (NW) as a control group. Total MMP-9 and its inhibitor, tissue inhibitor of MMPs-1 (TIMP-1) concentration were established using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The MMP-9: TIMP-1 ratio was calculated for every individual, and then the average of all ratios for each group were compared. The non-parametric statistical Kruskal Wallis one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison, with Dunn's testing post-hoc. RESULTS Tear samples from 100 participants (51 females; mean age ± SD: 25.4 ± 4.1 years) were analysed. MMP-9 concentrations and MMP-9:TIMP-1 ratio were significantly different between groups (Kruskal Wallis p = 0.001 and p < 0.001 respectively), while the concentration of TIMP-1 did not vary statistically between study groups (Kruskal Wallis, p = 0.32). Post hoc analysis indicated that only CL wearers with short experience had MMP-9 concentrations that were significantly high compared to NWs (23.1 ± 17.9 ng/mL and 4.1 ± 4.1 ng/mL, respectively, Dunn p < 0.001). Additionally, the ratio of MMP-9 to TIMP-1 concentration was only significantly greater in CL wearers with short experience (mean ratio ± SD = 1.15 ± 0.76) when compared to NWs (0.19 ± 0.29, Dunn P < 0.001), CL wearers with moderate experience (0.37 ± 0.41; P = 0.01) and PWs (0.38 ± 0.36; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The early years of CL wear appear to be associated with increased expression of MMP-9 relative to its inhibitor TIMP-1. This may be indicative of low-level inflammation during this phase of wear. The role this plays in propagating dry eye disease and MGD in CL wear requires further exploration.

中文翻译：

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泪膜MMP-9与睑板腺之间的关系在软性隐形眼镜佩戴过程中会发生变化。

目的研究眼泪中炎症的常见标志物MMP-9水平与软性隐形眼镜（CL）配戴后睑板腺变化之间的关系。方法收集齐平的眼泪：（1）三组CL佩戴者，他们每天以不同的持续时间佩戴CL（短时间：2±1年，中度：5±1年，长经验：10±2年）；（2）一组先前的CL佩戴者（PW），他们已经停止佩戴了至少6个月；（3）健康非佩戴者（NW）作为对照组。采用夹心酶联免疫吸附法建立了总MMP-9及其抑制剂，MMPs-1（TIMP-1）浓度的组织抑制剂。计算每个人的MMP-9：TIMP-1比率，然后比较每组所有比率的平均值。使用非参数统计Kruskal Wallis的单向方差分析与Dunn的事后检验进行比较。结果分析了100名参与者（51名女性；平均年龄±SD：25.4±4.1岁）的眼泪样本。各组之间的MMP-9浓度和MMP-9：TIMP-1比率存在显着差异（分别为Kruskal Wallis，p = 0.001和p <0.001），而研究组之间，TIMP-1的浓度无统计学差异（Kruskal Wallis，p = 0.32）。事后分析表明，只有经验不足的CL佩戴者的MMP-9浓度要比NW高得多（分别为23.1±17.9 ng / mL和4.1±4.1 ng / mL，Dunn p <0.001）。此外，只有经验不足的CL佩戴者中MMP-9与TIMP-1浓度的比率才明显更高（平均比率±SD = 1。与NW（0.19±0.29，Dunn P <0.001）相比，CL佩戴者具有中等经验（0.37±0.41; P = 0.01）和PW（0.38±0.36; P = 0.02）。结论相对于其抑制剂TIMP-1，CL磨损的早期似乎与MMP-9表达的增加有关。这可能表明在此阶段的佩戴过程中出现了轻度炎症。这在传播干眼病中的作用以及CL穿着中的MGD尚需进一步探索。