Person: Crooke Álvarez, Almudena
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First Name
Almudena
Last Name
Crooke Álvarez
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Óptica y Optometría
Department
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
Area
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
Identifiers
3 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Item Impact of contact lens wear on NLRP3 gene expression: Implications for ocular frailty in middle-aged adults(Experimental Eye Research, 2020) Crooke Álvarez, Almudena; Martínez Alberquilla, Irene; García Montero, María; Rico Del Viejo, Laura; Ruiz Alcocer, Javier; Madrid Costa, DavidThe inflammatory process plays a crucial role in frailty syndrome, which can appear in middle age and is associated with a poor health outcome. Consequently, gerontologists recommend screening inflammatory biomarkers in middle-aged adults to detect frailty and, therefore, prevent chronic diseases and mortality. External factors could be a risk factor for frailty because they can generate and extend the inflammatory process. For these reasons, we analysed the effect of long-term contact lens wear on mRNA level of genes linked to inflammation (IL-6, NLRP3, NK1R, CD73, MUC16 and TRPV1 genes) in conjunctival cells of middle-aged individuals, by quantitative PCR. Middle-aged contact lens wearers presented a significant increase of NLRP3 and MUC16 mRNA level as well as a decrease of CD73 mRNA level, in comparison with non-contact lens wearers. Additionally, we checked for a potential correlation between these transcript levels and clinical changes of the participants’ ocular surface. Unlike molecular analysis, clinical examination fails to detect inflammation in contact lens wearers. These data suggest that long-term contact lens wear could trigger an inflammatory response in middle age orchestrated by NLRP3 inflammasome and modulated by CD73 and MUC16 proteins. Further studies are needed to confirm our gene expression findings at the protein level as well as to investigate the potential role of long-term CL wear in the onset of ocular frailty.Item Visual function, ocular surface integrity and symptomatology of a new extended depth-of-focus and a conventional multifocal contact lens(Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 2020) Martínez Alberquilla, Irene; García Montero, María; Ruiz Alcocer, Javier; Crooke Álvarez, Almudena; Madrid Costa, DavidPurpose: To evaluate visual function, ocular surface integrity and dry eye symptoms with an extended depth-of-focus (EDOF) design and a conventional multifocal (MF) contact lens (CL) after 15 days of wear. Methods: A crossover single mask randomised clinical trial was conducted including 30 presbyopes who used an EDOF and a conventional MF CL (Biofinity MF) for 15 days each. Defocus curves, depth-of-focus range, contrast sensitivity (CS) under photopic and mesopic conditions (with and without glare) and subjective perception of halos and glare were evaluated. The ocular surface was evaluated through non-invasive Keratograph tear breakup time (NIKBUT), averaged tear breakup time (NIKBUT-avg), tear meniscus height (TMH), bulbar and limbal redness, and conjunctival and corneal staining. Dry eye symptoms were assessed with the OSDI questionnaire. Results: No statistically significant differences were found for defocus curves or depth-of-focus between the two CLs (both p > 0.05). Subjective perception of halos and glare was not significantly different between CLs. Statistically significant differences were observed for CS under mesopic conditions for low spatial frequencies (p = 0.008). None of the CL produced significant changes in NIKBUT, NIKBUT-avg, TMH or redness. No change in conjunctival staining was observed in 76.7 % and 73.3 % of participants for EDOF and Biofinity MF, respectively. No change in corneal staining was observed in 86.7 % and 83.3 % of participants for EDOF and Biofinity MF, respectively. No changes were observed in the symptomatology measured with OSDI questionnaire (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Both CL for presbyopia offer good visual quality, preserve the ocular surface integrity and provide the patient with similar symptomatology levels after 15 days of lens wear.Item Contact Lenses Loaded with Melatonin Analogs: A Promising Therapeutic Tool against Dry Eye Disease(Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2022) Navarro Gil, Francisco Javier; Huete Toral, Fernando; Domínguez Godínez, Carmen Olalla; Carracedo Rodríguez, Juan Gonzalo; Crooke Álvarez, Almudena; Versura, Piera; Dogru, MuratMelatonin analogs topically administered evoke a potent tear secretagogue effect in rabbits. This route of drug administration requires high drug concentration and frequent dosing due to its reduced ocular surface retention. Therefore, contact lenses (CLs) have emerged as an alternative drug- delivery system that prolongs drug retention in the cornea, improving its therapeutic performance. This study explores the in vitro ability of five commercially available hydrogel CLs to act as a delivery system for melatonin analogs and the in vivo secretagogue effect of melatonin analog-loaded CLs. We soaked CLs with melatonin or melatonin analog solutions (1 mM) for 12 h. Spectroscopic assays showed that IIK7-loaded CLs led to the inadequate delivery of this compound. Conventional hydrogel lenses loaded with agomelatine released more agomelatine than silicone ones (16–33% more). In contrast, the CLs of silicone materials are more effective as a delivery system of 5-MCA-NAT than CLs of conventional materials (24–29%). The adaptation of CLs loaded with agomelatine or 5-MCA-NAT in rabbits triggered a higher tear secretion than the corresponding eye drops (78% and 59% more, respectively). These data suggest that CLs preloaded with melatonin analogs could be an adequate strategy to combat aqueous tear deficient dry eye disease.