Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Olga Baker, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, US
- Second opponent: Professor Haydee E. P. Bazan, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, US
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate Professor Greg E. Jablonski, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Emeritus Haakon Benestad, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor Tor Paaske Utheim, University of Oslo
Summary
Two common ocular surface inflammatory diseases are dry eye disease and allergic conjunctivitis. Both are associated with mild to severe ocular symptoms and likely to impact quality of life.
One common characteristic of dry eye disease and allergic conjunctivitis is alterations in mucin secretion from goblet cells in the conjunctiva, resulting in over or under secretion of mucins onto the ocular surface. In general, mucous deficiency is observed in dry eye disease, and mucous overproduction in allergic conjunctivitis.
Previous studies show that omega-3 fatty acid derivatives contribute to resolution of inflammation. Resolvins are one group of omega-3 fatty acid derivatives with potential as a novel treatment for inflammatory disease.
The thesis Specialized Pro-resolving Lipid Mediators Resolvin D1, Resolvin D2 and Resolvin E1 in the Maintenance of Ocular Surface Homeostasis and in Prevention of Ocular Surface Inflammatory Disease by Nora Botten et al. within the field of ophthalmology/medical biochemistry investigates how resolvins regulate healthy conjunctival goblet cells.
The aims of the thesis were to investigate how resolvins function in healthy goblet cells, and whether resolvins have potential as a novel treatment for dry eye disease and allergic conjunctivitis.
Goblet cells in culture were used to investigate cell surface receptors, measure changes in intracellular calcium and cyclic AMP concentrations, and measure mucin secretion, thereby mapping out receptors and intracellular signaling pathways activated by resolvins.
Results from this project show that resolvins activate multiple signaling pathways in healthy goblet cells to increase intracellular calcium concentration and stimulate mucin secretion.
In conclusion, resolvins regulate secretion from healthy goblet cells thereby maintaining ocular surface homeostasis. One characteristic of ocular surface inflammatory disease is goblet cell dysfunction. Thus, resolvins could represent a novel treatment.
Additional information
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