Purpose. The expression of Fas ligand (FasL) in ocular tissues is thought t
o play a critical role in maintaining immune privilege in the eye. In this
study, to clarify the involvement of the Fas-FasL system in inflammatory pr
ocesses of the eye, we examined soluble Fast (sFasL) in ocular inflammation
.
Methods. Using ELISA systems recently developed, sFasL concentrations in aq
ueous humor (AH) and/or vitreous fluid (VF) were measured. AH was obtained
from 17 eyes of 17 uveitis patients and from 12 eyes of 12 non-uveitis (cat
aract) patients. VF was obtained from 22 eyes of 22 uveitis patients and 7
eyes of 7 non-uveitis (macular hole) patients. Serum levels of sFasL were a
lso determined.
Results. sFasL in AH and VF was below the detection limit of the ELISA syst
ems in all non-uveitis eyes. On the other hand, sFasL was detected in AH fr
om uveitis patients where it measured 367.0 +/- 154.7 pg/ml (mean +/- SEM).
sFasL was also detected in VF from uveitis patients where it measured 1132
.2 +/- 281.7 pg/ml. None of the sera from patients with or without uveitis
contained a detectable level of sFas L.
Conclusions. sFasL levels in AH and VF are elevated in the eye during ocula
r inflammation. Fas-FasL mediated apoptosis may play an important role in t
he regulation of inflammation during uveitis.