Group IIPLA(2) content of tears in normal subjects

PURPOSE. TO determine the concentration of group II phospholipase (PL) A(2) , an antimicrobial molecule, in tears of normal subjects in different age a nd sex groups. METHODS, PLA(2) content of tears was measured in 122 healthy volunteers wit h ages ranging from 20 to 89 years (mean, 49.5 years) by a time-resolved fl uoroimmunoassay using a polyclonal rabbit antibody to recombinant human PLA (2). RESULTS. The mean concentration of PLA(2) in tears was 54.5 +/- 33.9 mug/ml . It was highest in the age group 20 to 29 years (81.6 +/- 32.0 mug/ml), an d a decrease of concentration occurred with an increase of age. PLA(2) valu es were statistically significantly lower in the age group 60 to 69 years ( P = 0.0013) and 70 years or more (P = 0.0001) than in the age group 20 to 2 9 years. There were no statistically significant differences in PLA(2) cont ent of tears between the genders in any age group (P = 0.798). CONCLUSIONS. The results indicate that tears contain a high concentration o f PLA(2) and that PLA(2) levels decrease with an increase of age and/or ref lex tear component of the sample analyzed.