2236 Assessment of ocular reactions to dander in a cat room: Efficacy of topical ketorolac and oral terfenadine

Purpose: The aim of this work was to demonswate that the exorbital rat lacrimal gland was a site of synthesis of some growth factors of the EGF family (EGF, HB-EGF, TGFa) and their receptor, namely the EGF receptor ,FGFP\ \ --. . . , Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were used in these experhnents. RTPCR and Northern-Blot analysis of the lacrimal gland mRNA population were pe~fotmcd to study the expression of both growth factors sod EGFR genes. The DKS~WX of EGF-like activities in the soluble fraction of the lacrimal eland was’analysed by radio-receptor assay (RRA) using the rat liver EGFR as binding unit and moose t?sI-EGF as radioligand. The presence of the EGFR protein was .issessed by: I/ Immunochemical techniques: immuooprecipiration sod Westem-blot analysis of solubilized membrtuie proteins using a specific Sheep polyclonal antibody directed against the human EGFR. Its activation by EGF was measulrd using a specific mouse moooclonal (4GlO) antrbody directed against phosphotyrosine residues 21 Radioligand binding experiments which were performed on membrane fractions usinr ‘?sI-EGF as a radiolinalld M Res& demonstrate that thi mRNA population extracted from the rat lacrimal gland contains specific transcripts coding for growth factors such as EGF, TGFn and HB-EGF as well as for the EGFR. EGF-like growth factors were detected by RRA in the soluble fraction sod an EGF activable EGFR found in the membrane fraction of the lacrimal gland. blusion; The rat exorbital lacrimal gland LS a site of synthesis and a potential site of secretion of EGF-like growth factors. These growth factors may be released in tears and act to mairitain the comeal epithelium integrity and/or act in a paracrioe manner through the activation of the lacrimal cells EGFR. Both of these hypothesis have now to be analyscd