Elevation of Tear Fluid Plasmin Activity of Contact Lens Wearers Studied with a Rapid Fluorometric Assay

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Abstract
Tear fluid plasmin activities were measured by a fluorometric assay based on a lyophilized kit with the 7-amido-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin derivate of the tripeptidyl H-D-Val-Leu-Lys as substrate. The rapid, sensitive method can detect proteolytic activity in small volume tear fluid samples. Plasmin activity levels (IU/L) measured from the samples were corrected with tear fluid flows (µl/min), yielding a parameter called plasmin flux (µIU/min). Correction is important when patients show tearing due to irritation. Tear fluid samples were collected from 32 asymptomatic contact lens (CL) wearers and 27 controls. Plasmin activity values (2.7 ± 0.3 IU/L) of CL wearers were higher (p < 0006) than those of the controls (1.6-0.1). Mean plasmin flow was 12.6 ± 1.5 µl/min for CL wearers and higher for controls (6.8 ± 0.5 µl/min). The difference was not significant (p=0.063). Plasmin flux values of CL wearers (30.0 ± 4.1 µIU/min) were conspicuously higher than those of controls (10.2 ± 0.7 (µIU/min, p < 0.00006). We conclude that elevated tear fluid proteolytic activity may be related to pathological changes associated with CL wear.

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