Minjun Hur
Research Mentor(s): Vinay Aakalu
Mentor Department: Ophthalmology
Authors: Minjun Hur, Manoj Chaudhary, Vinay Aakalu, Kyung-No Son
Session: Session 6 (3:00pm – 3:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 83
Abstract
Dry eye disease (DED) and ocular surface diseases (OSD) are prevalent conditions that significantly impair visual function and quality of life. These disorders are driven by inflammatory changes and corneal epithelial dysfunction, often exacerbated by prolonged exposure to toxic preservatives like benzalkonium chloride (BAK), a common component in many eye drops. Histatin peptides, endogenous antimicrobial and wound-healing peptides found in saliva, hold potential as therapeutic agents. In this study, we investigated the healing properties of histatin 5 in an in vitro BAK-induced DED model using human corneal epithelial cells (HCE). We analyzed HCE morphology and doubling time. Then. we demonstrated how BAK changes cell morphology and induces cell death dose-dependently in HCE. Furthermore, we examined the restorative effects of histatin 5 on BAK-induced DED cells. By optimizing dosage and assessing therapeutic efficacy, this research aims to establish histatin 5 as a novel treatment for BAK-induced DED.
