Diabetes is associated with dysregulation of the Opioid Growth Factor (OGF) – OGF receptor (OGFr) regulatory pathway leading to elevated OGF levels in serum and tissues. This study was designed to investigate the role of sex on the magnitude of ocular surface complications by direct comparison of male and female type 1 diabetic (T1D) rats. Male and female adult Sprague-Dawley rats were rendered T1D; a cohort of T1D male and female rats received insulin (=T1D-INS). Tear production, corneal surface sensitivity, as well as serum levels of estrogen, testosterone, OGF and OGFr were measured. Multivariate analyses were performed for correlations between sex, condition and magnitude of ocular surface alterations. Significant differences were noted in all parameters tested between male and female Normal, T1D, and T1D-INS animals over the 8-week observation period. Multivariate analyses revealed that the magnitude of complications is greater in female T1D rats and has a strong negative correlation with serum estrogen and OGF. Ocular surface complications associated with T1D have an earlier onset and greater magnitude in female T1D rats than male diabetic animals, and are related to elevated levels of OGF.

糖尿病与阿片类生长因子 (OGF) – OGF 受体 (OGFr) 调节通路的失调有关，导致血清和组织中 OGF 水平升高。本研究旨在通过直接比较雄性和雌性 1 型糖尿病 (T1D) 大鼠来研究性别对眼表并发症程度的作用。雄性和雌性成年 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠为 T1D；一组 T1D 雄性和雌性大鼠接受了胰岛素 (=T1D-INS)。测量泪液产生、角膜表面敏感性以及雌激素、睾酮、OGF和OGFr的血清水平。对性别、状况和眼表变化幅度之间的相关性进行了多变量分析。在男性和女性正常、T1D、和 T1D-INS 动物在 8 周的观察期内。多变量分析显示，雌性 T1D 大鼠的并发症程度更大，并且与血清雌激素和 OGF 呈强负相关。与 T1D 相关的眼表并发症在雌性 T1D 大鼠中比雄性糖尿病动物发病更早且程度更大，并且与 OGF 水平升高有关。