Hydrolytic enzymes in normal and pathologic tear fluid.
The paper reviews literary data and provides the authors' own results on the presence of hydrolases in human tear fluid. Human tear fluid contains hydrolases of all known types. Proteases (serine, cysteine, metalloproteases) alone and as parts of local fibrinolytic, renin-angiotensin, kallikrein-kinin systems contribute to a variety of pathologic processes in the eye: corneal ulceration after trauma, burn and keratitis, development of keratoconus, uveitis, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma. Glycosidase lysozyme and endonuclease lipocalin have strong antimicrobial and antiviral effect. The presence of lysosomal hydrolases in the tears reflects their level in the blood in accumulation diseases. The paper offers examples of how the analysis of hydrolase activity and enzyme-inhibitor balance can be used to reveal the pathogenesis and select pathogenetically validated therapy of eye diseases. // Russian Ophthalmological Journal, 2012; 4:107-111.