In-depth Observation | Bloomage Biotech Presents Cutting-Edge Research at ARVO Annual Meetings: Oral HA Improves Dry eye disease

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting opened grandly on April 23, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1928, ARVO is a global vision and ophthalmology research organization with over 12,000 members spanning 75 countries globally. Dr. Zhang Tianmeng from Bloomage Biotech presented the latest research findings of the team at this conference, focusing on the effects of oral hyaluronic acid (HA) on eye health. The research indicates oral HA is a potential treatment for dry eye disease.

Dry eye disease is caused by an imbalance in tear film stability, resulting in ocular surface damage. Insufficient tear secretion, excessive evaporation, and abnormal composition can all trigger dry eye disease. Hyaluronic acid (HA) naturally exists in the tear film, cornea, and vitreous humor of the human body, and it is an important component of the eye's vitreous. HA has a strong affinity for water molecules and can increase ocular surface wetting while reducing tear evaporation. Additionally, HA has high viscoelasticity, which can reduce friction between the cornea and eyelids during blinking, thereby reducing mechanical stress and damage to the cornea.

Dr. Zhang Tianmeng's team studied the effects of orally administered HA with different molecular weights on benzalkonium chloride (BAC)-induced dry eye disease in mice. The results showed that HA can prolong the tear film break-up time in mice, improve tear film stability, and reduce the negative effects of inflammatory factors. Furthermore, the degree of improvement in dry eye syndrome varied depending on the molecular weight of HA.

As shown in the figure above, HA-1 to HA-4 significantly increased the tear film break-up time and improve the stability of the tear film in mice. HA-2 resulted in significantly longer tear break-up time, lower fluorescein staining scores and more tear fluid secretion.

These results indicate that HA-2 is a potential active substance for treating dry eye disease, and oral HA has excellent prospects in the treatment of this condition. Currently, products containing HA that improve eye health have already been launched in the United States, Taiwan (China), and other countries, demonstrating the enormous potential of oral HA in the eye health market.