Technological advancements allowing for the analysis of low-volume samples have led to the investigation of human tear fluid and aqueous humor (AH) as potential biomarker sources. However, acquiring AH samples poses significant challenges, making human tear fluid a more accessible alternative. This study aims to compare the protein compositions of these two biofluids to evaluate their suitability for biomarker discovery. Paired tear and AH samples were collected from 20 patients undergoing cataract surgery. Tear samples were collected using Schirmer strips prior to surgery, and AH samples were collected from the anterior chamber immediately after corneal incision. Proteins were extracted and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A total of 481 proteins were identified in greater than 50% of the tear samples, and 191 proteins were detected in greater than 50% of the AH samples. Of these proteins, 82 were found to be common between the two biofluids, with ALB, LTF, TF, LCN1, and IGKC being the most abundant. Although tear fluid and the AH are functionally independent and physically separated, many of the proteins detected in AH were also detected in tears. This direct comparison of the proteomic content of tear fluid and AH may aid in further investigation of tear fluid as a source of readily accessible biomarkers for various human diseases.

中文翻译：

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人泪液和房水蛋白质组的比较分析

允许分析少量样品的技术进步导致对人类泪液和房水 (AH) 作为潜在生物标志物来源的研究。然而，获取 AH 样本面临着巨大的挑战，这使得人泪液成为更容易获得的替代品。本研究旨在比较这两种生物液的蛋白质组成，以评估它们对生物标志物发现的适用性。成对的泪液和 AH 样本是从 20 名接受白内障手术的患者身上采集的。在手术前使用 Schirmer 条收集泪液样本，并在角膜切口后立即从前房收集 AH 样本。使用液相色谱-串联质谱 (LC-MS/MS) 提取和分析蛋白质。在超过 50% 的泪液样本中总共检测到了 481 种蛋白质，在超过 50% 的 AH 样本中检测到了 191 种蛋白质。在这些蛋白质中，有 82 种被发现在两种生物液之间是共有的，其中 ALB、LTF、TF、LCN1 和 IGKC 的含量最丰富。尽管泪液和 AH 在功能上独立且物理上分开，但在 AH 中检测到的许多蛋白质也在眼泪中检测到。这种泪液和 AH 蛋白质组含量的直接比较可能有助于进一步研究泪液作为各种人类疾病易于获得的生物标志物的来源。