Application of green oat extract in prevention and treatment of dry eye syndrome

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of a green oat extract for the manufacture of a composition for the prevention and / or treatment of dry eye syndrome. The composition comprising the green oat extract of the present invention is used for preventing and / or treating the symptoms of dry eye syndrome by promoting tear secretion, repairing corneal epithelial cell damage, slowing lacrimal acinus cell apoptosis and / or maintaining the normal function of the lacrimal gland.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a composition comprising green oat extract for preventing and treating dry eye syndrome. More particularly, the present invention relates to a composition prepared by using green oat extract to promote tear secretion, maintain the quality and stability of tear film, repair corneal epithelial cell damage, slow down lacrimal gland acinar cell apoptosis and / or improve lacrimal gland function. Background Art

[0002] Dry eye syndrome (DES), also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), is one of the most common diseases in ophthalmology clinics. Symptoms include eye allergies, red eyes, excessive eye mucus or fatigue, and blurred vision may also occur. Dry eye syndrome is a disease with multiple causes, mainly caused by insufficient tear secretion, uneven distribution or excessive evaporation of tears in the tear glands of the aqueous layer of the eyes, so that the tears cannot provide sufficient moisture for the eyeball. Congenital absence of tear glands, reduced tear gland function due to aging, inflammation of the tear glands caused by some autoimmune diseases, trauma, infection, autonomic nervous system disorders, long-term use of certain eye drops (such as certain drugs for the treatment of glaucoma) or taking certain drugs (such as certain high blood pressure drugs, tranquilizers, etc.) can all cause insufficient tear secretion.

[0003] The treatment of dry eye syndrome is mainly to alleviate the symptoms of dry eyes, avoid damage to the cornea, and maintain a smooth and clear surface of the eyeball. Although artificial tears are a common treatment for dry eyes, some artificial tears are added with artificial preservatives in order to preserve them for a longer time, and these ingredients can cause toxic damage to the eyeball. The formation of dry eye syndrome is closely related to the usual eye habits. To prevent dry eyes, you need to take good care of your eyes in your daily life. Doctors recommend that patients with dry eyes should have a regular schedule, get enough sleep, not stay up late, and avoid excessive eye use for a long time to give your eyes enough rest.

[0004] Since the Middle Ages, wild green oats have been used in nutrition and medicine in Europe. Its natural, safe and side-effect-free effects have earned it the reputation of "the best natural healer in the Middle Ages". Green oats are not ordinary oats. They contain ingredients with medical effects, such as flavonoids or steroid saponins. The German Pharmacopoeia (German Commission EMonograph) clearly records the mental improvement effects of green oats. In addition to being used to fight depression and stabilize emotions, green oats are also used in Europe, America and Japan for slimming and smoking cessation.

[0005] There are many health products on the market that contain wild green oat extract, including Neuravena from Switzerland. TM Patented Wild Green Oat Extract Powder It is a green oat extract made by IFF Health (formerly Frutarom Health) from the upper tender leaves of a specific variety of wild green oats (Avena sativa L) using patented extraction technology. Green oat extract has been shown to have a significant inhibitory effect on central nervous system enzymes, monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) and phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE-4), which are involved in mental health, in bioassay-guided methods (Moccetti et al., Z. Phytother. 27:24.10.1055, 2006). A recent study found that acute administration of 800 mg Green oat extract can enhance the optimization of neural resources and positively affect cognitive performance in tasks related to executive function, processing speed, and attention. It can prevent the harmful effects of fatigue during the task. (Saul et al., Front Neurosci. 15:74818, 2021). Based on this, green oat extract can effectively promote emotional stability, relieve stress and anxiety, focus attention, make thinking clearer and sharper, and also has the effect of refreshing.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention first attempts to utilize the effect of green oat extract in promoting the effective utilization of neurotransmitters and apply it to the prevention and treatment of dry eye syndrome. A series of experiments have shown that green oat extract can effectively improve the abnormal conditions of the main lacrimal gland cells in dry eye syndrome caused by insufficient tear secretion of the lacrimal gland or excessive tear evaporation, including apoptosis of lacrimal gland alveolar cells, expansion of the endoplasmic reticulum of lacrimal gland cells, morphological atrophy of α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA), displacement of aquaporin (AQP-5) in lacrimal gland epithelial cells, and reduced quality and stability of the tear film. Summary of the invention

[0007] One aspect of the present invention relates to the use of a green oat extract for preparing a composition for preventing and / or treating dry eye. In some embodiments of the present invention, the composition is a health food composition. In some embodiments of the present invention, the composition is a pharmaceutical composition.

[0008] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to manufacture a method for preventing and / or treating dry eye syndrome caused by insufficient tear secretion. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to promote tear secretion. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to slow down the apoptosis of lacrimal gland acinar cells. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to maintain the normal tear secretion function of the lacrimal gland.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to manufacture a method for preventing and / or treating dry eye syndrome caused by excessive tear evaporation. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to prolong tear breakup time (TBUT). In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to improve the quality and stability of the tear film.

[0010] In another embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to improve dry corneal surface damage caused by dry eye syndrome. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the green oat extract is used to repair corneal epithelial cell damage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1A This is a regression analysis statistical graph showing that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced tear secretion in mice on days 0, 5, 10, and 15.

[0012] Figure 1B The quantitative graphs show that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced tear secretion in both eyes of mice on day 15.

[0013] Figure 2A To show that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced tear film instability, the stability of the tear film was analyzed using a corneal tear-flim topographer on day 16.

[0014] Figure 2B Statistical graph showing that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced tear film instability by regression analysis of tear breakup time (TBUT) on days 0, 5, 10, and 15.

[0015] Figure 2C Quantitative graphs showing that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced tear film instability in both eyes of mice on day 15.

[0016] Figure 3A To show that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation (SD)-induced lacrimal gland acinar cytoplasmic vacuolation.

[0017] Figure 3B This is a quantitative analysis of the lacrimal gland acinar cytoplasm vacuolation area, showing that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced lacrimal gland acinar cytoplasm vacuolation.

[0018] Figure 4A To show that green oat extract improves the apoptosis of lacrimal gland acinar cells induced by sleep deprivation (SD).

[0019] Figure 4B This is a quantitative analysis of the number of apoptotic acinar cells, showing that green oat extract improves the apoptosis of lacrimal gland acinar cells induced by sleep deprivation.

[0020] Figure 5 This is the electron microscopy analysis result of mouse lacrimal gland.

[0021] Fig. 6A To demonstrate that green oat extract protects the function of α-smooth muscle actin in lacrimal gland acinar epithelial cells, mouse lacrimal gland tissues were analyzed using immunohistochemical staining (IHC staining).

[0022] Figure 6B To demonstrate the function of green oat extract in protecting α-smooth muscle actin in lacrimal gland acinar epithelial cells, the area of ​​α-smooth muscle actin around lacrimal gland epithelial cells was quantitatively analyzed.

[0023] Figure 6C To show the function of green oat extract in protecting α-smooth muscle actin in lacrimal gland acinar epithelial cells, this is a quantitative analysis graph of the ratio of α-smooth muscle actin around lacrimal gland epithelial cells to the total gland.

[0024] Fig. 7A To show that green oat extract reconstructs the translocation function of aquaporins in lacrimal acinar cells and restores the positive regulation mechanism of cAMP, immunohistochemical staining was used to analyze mouse lacrimal gland tissues.

[0025] Figure 7B Detection and analysis of cAMP content in the cytoplasmic fraction of mouse lacrimal gland.

[0026] Fig. 8A In order to show that green oat extract improves the corneal surface damage of dry eye induced by sleep deprivation, the dry eye damage index staining analysis of mice was performed using Lissamine green reagent on the 16th day of inducing dry eye syndrome.

[0027] Figure 8B This is a quantitative analysis of the corneal punctate staining area.

[0028] Figure 8C This is a HE staining image of a mouse corneal tissue section. The arrow points to the damaged area of ​​the corneal epithelial cells. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention relates to the use of green oat extract in preparing a composition for preventing and / or treating dry eye syndrome. The composition can be a health food composition or a pharmaceutical composition.

[0030] Herein, "green oat extract" refers to an extract obtained from the leaves and stalks of immature wild green oats (Avena sativa L.), which is mostly sold in the market in the form of powder.

[0031] In this article, the term "dry eye syndrome" refers to the phenomenon that the tears cannot fully moisturize the eyes due to the affected tear secretion, uneven tear distribution, too fast tear evaporation, or unstable tear composition, which can lead to corneal breakage, increased osmotic pressure, and cause eye discomfort, soreness, red eyes, foreign body sensation, pain and even visual impairment.

[0032] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be further exemplified and described in the following embodiments, which are only used as auxiliary explanations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0033] Since sleep disorders are one of the causes of dry eye syndrome, the following examples use a sleep deprivation (SD) experiment to evaluate whether green oats can improve and prevent the symptoms of dry eye syndrome induced by sleep deprivation. The experiment was divided into five groups, namely a normal group, a sleep deprivation induced group (SD+vehicle), an oral low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID) group, an oral medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) group, and an oral high-dose green oat extract (SD+400mg / kg, BID) group. The mice were induced with sleep deprivation (SD) from the 1st to the 16th day of the experiment. The tear secretion (Tearsecretion) and tear breakup time (TBUT) of the mice were measured on days 0, 5, 10, and 15. Corneal dry eye damage index staining analysis (corneastaining) and corneal curvature analysis (Cornealtopographer) were performed on the 16th day before sacrifice. After sacrifice on the 16th day, the eyeballs and surrounding tissues of the mice were obtained for HE staining analysis. The lacrimal gland tissues of the mice were obtained for HE staining analysis, cell apoptosis analysis (Tunel assay), electron microscopy analysis (TEManalysis), immunohistochemical staining analysis (IHC staining) and biochemical analysis.

[0034] Example 1: Green oat extract improves insufficient tear secretion in dry eye syndrome

[0035] The mice were induced with sleep deprivation (SD) from the 1st to the 16th day of the experiment. The tear secretion of the mice was measured on the 0th, 5th, 10th and 15th day. The results are as follows: Figure 1A and Figure 1BThe p value was determined by Kruskal–Wallis test. Mean ± SD. ***p<0.001 and *p<0.05 indicate statistically significant differences.

[0036] Increase tear secretion

[0037] Depend on Figure 1A The results showed that the tear secretion of mice that had undergone sleep deprivation (SD) was significantly reduced compared to the normal group of mice after regression analysis. After the fifth day of sleep deprivation, oral administration of green oat extract was started, and the effect of green oat extract on stimulating tear secretion was observed. The results showed that oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID), medium-dose oral green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) or high-dose green oat extract (SD+400mg / kg, BID) can effectively improve the tear secretion compared to the sleep deprivation-induced dry eye group (SD+vehicle), among which the effects of oral medium-dose and high-dose green oat extract on stimulating tear secretion are more significant.

[0038] Figure 1B The quantitative graph of stimulated tear secretion of both eyes of mice on the 15th day. The results showed that the stimulated tear secretion of mice in the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle) was significantly reduced on the 15th day. Oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID), medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) or high-dose green oat extract (SD+400mg / kg, BID) can significantly increase the stimulated tear secretion. The above results indicate that oral administration of green oat extract can increase tear secretion function, thereby alleviating the symptoms of dry eye syndrome caused by sleep deprivation.

[0039] Example 2: Green oat extract improves tear film instability in dry eye syndrome

[0040] The mice were induced with sleep deprivation (SD) from day 1 to day 16, and the stability of the tear film was analyzed using a corneal tear-flim topographer on day 16. Figure 2A The results showed that compared with the normal group of mice, sleep deprivation (SD) led to poor tear film quality and instability. Oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID), medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) or high-dose green oat extract (SD+400mg / kg, BID) significantly improved the quality and stability of the tear film.

[0041] The mice were induced with sleep deprivation (SD) from day 1 to day 16, and the tear breakup time (TBUT) was analyzed by regression tracking on days 0, 5, 10, and 15. Figure 2B The results showed that sleep deprivation (SD) did lead to a significant decrease in tear breakup time (TBUT) compared with the normal group of mice. Oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID), medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) or high-dose green oat extract (SD+400mg / kg, BID) can significantly increase tear breakup time (TBUT). It indicates that green oat extract can effectively improve the stability of the tear film. Figure 2C To quantify the stimulated tear secretion of both eyes of mice on day 15, the results showed that oral administration of green oat extract increased the tear break-up time (TBUT).

[0042] The above results indicate that oral administration of green oat extract can increase tear break-up time (TBUT), maintain the quality and stability of the tear film, and effectively relieve the symptoms of dry eye syndrome caused by excessive tear evaporation.

[0043] Example 3: Green oat extract prevents lacrimal gland function degeneration and relieves symptoms of water-deficient dry eye syndrome

[0044] The mice were induced with sleep deprivation (SD) from day 1 to day 16 of the experiment. After sacrifice on day 16, the tear gland tissues of the mice were obtained for HE staining analysis, cell apoptosis analysis (Tunel assay), electron microscopy analysis (TEM analysis), immunohistochemical staining analysis (IHC staining) and cytoplasmic cAMP content (cAMP) detection analysis.

[0045] Improve lacrimal gland acinar cytoplasm vacuolation

[0046] Figure 3A HE staining results of mouse lacrimal gland tissue sections showing that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced lacrimal gland acinar cytoplasm vacuolation. The arrows indicate significant vacuolation of the acinar cytoplasm, which is a phenomenon of early cell apoptosis. Figure 3A HE staining results of mouse lacrimal gland tissue sections showed that compared with the normal group (Normal), the volume of lacrimal gland acinar cells (acinar cells) in the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle) mice increased, and the acinar cytoplasm showed significant vacuolation (indicated by the arrow), which is a phenomenon of early cell apoptosis. Figure 3BQuantitative analysis of the area of ​​lacrimal gland acinar cytoplasm vacuolation to show that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced lacrimal gland acinar cytoplasm vacuolation. Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine the p value. Mean ± SD. #p<0.05, compared with the normal group. **p<0.01 and *p<0.05 are statistically significant. Figure 3B The quantitative analysis results of the lacrimal gland alveolar cytoplasm vacuolation area showed that oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID) or medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) can significantly reduce the lacrimal gland alveolar cytoplasm vacuolation induced by sleep deprivation (SD). This indicates that green oat extract can effectively prevent the occurrence of cell apoptosis.

[0047] Improve apoptosis of lacrimal gland alveolar cells

[0048] The broken DNA fragments in mouse lacrimal gland tissue were detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (Tunel analysis). DNA fragmentation is one of the characteristics of the late stage of apoptosis. Tunel analysis is a method for detecting DNA fragments by labeling the ends of nucleic acids. The nicks present in the broken DNA fragments can be recognized by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), which catalyzes the addition of dUTP to the broken nicks. dUTP can then be labeled with other markers to help identify broken DNA fragments.

[0049] Figure 4A To show that green oat extract improves sleep deprivation-induced apoptosis of lacrimal gland acinar cells, the mouse lacrimal gland tissue staining analysis was performed using fragmentation DNA analysis (Tunel method). Cell staining (dark cells) indicates cell apoptosis. Figure 4A The results showed that compared with the normal group (Normal), the number of apoptotic cells in the lacrimal gland tissue of the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle) mice increased significantly (the cells stained with broken DNA fragments in the figure are apoptotic cells). It means that sleep deprivation can cause aging and apoptosis of lacrimal gland alveolar cells, leading to lacrimal gland function degeneration, and then cause water-deficient dry eye symptoms. Figure 4B This is a quantitative analysis of the number of acinar cell apoptosis, showing that green oat extract improves the apoptosis of lacrimal gland acinar cells induced by sleep deprivation. The p value was determined by Mann-Whitney U test. Mean ± SD. ##p<0.01, compared with the normal group. **p<0.01 and *p<0.05 are statistically significant. Figure 4BThe quantitative analysis results of the number of acinar cell apoptosis indicated that oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID) or medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) could significantly reduce the number of acinar cell apoptosis induced by sleep deprivation (SD). It indicates that green oat extract can reduce apoptosis in lacrimal gland tissue, so that lacrimal gland acinar cells can maintain their normal secretory function and thus maintain stable tear secretion.

[0050] Improve endoplasmic reticulum expansion (ER stress) in lacrimal gland cells

[0051] Figure 5 This is a TEM analysis result of mouse lacrimal glands, showing that green oat extract can improve the endoplasmic reticulum expansion (ER stress) of lacrimal gland cells induced by sleep deprivation (SD). In the figure, N stands for nucleus; SV stands for secretory vesicles; ER stands for endoplasmic reticulum. Figure 5 The results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the tear glands of mice showed that the nucleus of the tear gland cells of the normal group (Normal) mice was tightly connected to the surrounding endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the endoplasmic reticulum of the tear gland cells of the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle) mice expanded outward significantly (ER stress), and this endoplasmic reticulum expansion phenomenon can cause acinar cell apoptosis. Oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID) or medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) can significantly reduce the endoplasmic reticulum expansion of tear gland cells induced by sleep deprivation (SD), thereby slowing down the apoptosis of tear gland acinar cells, and thus maintaining the stability of the tear gland's tear secretion function.

[0052] Protecting the function of α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) in lacrimal gland acinar epithelial cells

[0053] Fig. 6A To demonstrate that green oat extract protects the function of α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) in lacrimal gland acinar epithelial cells, immunohistochemical staining (IHC staining) was used to analyze mouse lacrimal gland tissues. Fig. 6AThe results showed that in the normal group, α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) surrounded the acinar epithelial cells, which helped the acinar cells to contract and promote tear secretion. In the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle), the morphology of α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) in the lacrimal gland acinar epithelial cells of mice was atrophic and aggregated, which would reduce the amount of tear secretion. Figure 6B To show that green oat extract protects the function of α-smooth muscle actin in lacrimal gland acinar epithelial cells, the area of ​​α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) around lacrimal gland epithelial cells was quantitatively analyzed. The p value was determined using the Mann-Whitney U test. Mean ± SD. ###p<0.001, compared with the normal group. ***p<0.001 has a statistically significant difference. Figure 6B The results of quantitative analysis of the area of ​​α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) around lacrimal gland epithelial cells. Figure 6C To show the function of green oat extract in protecting α-smooth muscle actin in lacrimal gland acinar epithelial cells, the quantitative analysis of the ratio of α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) around lacrimal gland epithelial cells to the total gland. The p value was determined by Mann-Whitney U test. Mean ± SD. #p<0.05, compared with the normal group. **

[0054] p<0.01 is statistically significant. The above results indicate that oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID) or oral administration of medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) can significantly reduce the deterioration of α-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) morphology of lacrimal gland alveolar epithelial cells induced by sleep deprivation (SD), thereby helping the alveolar cells to contract normally and promote tear secretion.

[0055] Green oat extract restores the translocation function of aquaporin-5 (AQP-5) in lacrimal gland acinar cells

[0056] Fig. 7A To show that green oat extract can restore the displacement function of aquaporin-5 (AQP-5) in lacrimal gland acinar cells and restore the upregulation mechanism of cAMP, immunohistochemical staining (IHC staining) was used to analyze mouse lacrimal gland tissue. Fig. 7AThe results showed that in the normal group of mice, the aquaporin (AQP-5) of the lacrimal gland acinar cells was located on the cell membrane of the acinar epithelial cells to assist the lacrimal gland in secreting tears. In the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle) of mice, the aquaporin (AQP-5) of the lacrimal gland acinar cells was displaced to the periphery of the acinar epithelial cells, causing the aquaporin (AQP-5) to be unable to function normally, resulting in a decrease in tear secretion. Oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID) or medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) can significantly reduce the displacement of aquaporin (AQP-5) in lacrimal gland epithelial cells induced by sleep deprivation (SD). This result indicates that oral administration of green oat extract can maintain the normal function of aquaporin (AQP-5) in assisting tear secretion, thereby alleviating the symptoms of water-deficient dry eye syndrome.

[0057] Restore cAMP upregulation mechanism

[0058] The cAMP content in the cytoplasm of lacrimal gland cells (cytosolic fraction cAMP, expressed as cAMP) is related to the mechanism of the displacement of aquaporin (AQP-5) to the cell membrane. When cAMP increases, it activates protein kinase A (PKA) to phosphorylate protein kinase A (pPKA), which promotes the displacement of aquaporin (AQP-5) to the cell membrane of lacrimal gland epithelial cells, thereby promoting tear secretion. Therefore, this example also detects and analyzes the changes in the cAMP content (cAMP) in the cytosolic fraction (cytosolic fraction) of mouse lacrimal glands.

[0059] Figure 7B The cAMP content in the cytosolic fraction of the mouse lacrimal gland was detected and analyzed. The p value was determined by Mann-Whitney U test. Mean ± SD. #p<0.05, compared with the normal group. **p<0.01 and *p<0.05 were statistically significantly different. Figure 7B The results showed that compared with the normal group (Normal), in the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle), the cAMP in the lacrimal gland cells decreased significantly, resulting in insufficient tear secretion. However, in the oral low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID) or medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) groups, the cAMP of mice increased significantly. This result indicates that oral green oat extract can increase tear secretion and thus improve the symptoms of water-deficient dry eye syndrome caused by tear deficiency.

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[0061] Example 4: Green oat extract prevents and improves corneal damage symptoms of dry eye syndrome

[0062] The mice were induced with sleep deprivation (SD) from day 1 to day 16. On day 16, Lissamine green reagent was used to stain and analyze the dry eye damage indicators of the mice, and HE staining of the mouse corneal tissue sections was performed to evaluate the dry eye corneal surface damage.

[0063] Fig. 8A In order to show that green oat extract improves the corneal surface damage induced by sleep deprivation (SD), on the 16th day of inducing dry eye syndrome, Lissamine green reagent was used to perform staining analysis of mouse corneal dry eye damage indicators. First, photos were taken with original corneal staining, and then the software analysis box was used to select the punctate damage, and the punctate blocks were marked to quantify the damage area. The results showed that there was no punctate staining damage in the cornea of ​​the normal group (Normal), while a large area of ​​punctate staining damage appeared in the center of the cornea of ​​the mice in the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle), which is a common symptom of dry eye. The results of quantitative analysis of corneal punctate staining area indicated that oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID), medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) or high-dose green oat extract (SD+400mg / kg, BID) could significantly reduce corneal damage induced by sleep deprivation (SD). Figure 8B The figure shows the quantitative analysis of the corneal punctate staining area. The p value was determined by Mann-Whitney U test. Mean ± standard deviation. #p<0.05, **p<0.01 and *p<0.05 are statistically significant compared with the normal group.

[0064] Figure 8C This is a HE staining image of mouse corneal tissue sections, and the arrows indicate the damaged areas of corneal epithelial cells. The HE staining results of mouse corneal tissue sections showed that compared with the normal group (Normal), the corneal epithelial cells of mice in the sleep deprivation group (SD+vehicle) were significantly damaged (indicated by the arrows), and oral administration of low-dose green oat extract (SD+10mg / kg, BID) or medium-dose green oat extract (SD+40mg / kg, BID) can effectively repair sleep deprivation (SD)-induced corneal epithelial cell damage.

[0065] In summary, the present invention first discovered through a study on a sleep deprivation (SD)-induced dry eye syndrome mouse model that oral administration of green oat extract can effectively promote tear secretion, reconstruct lacrimal gland function, slow down lacrimal gland acinar cell apoptosis, improve the quality and stability of the tear film, and repair corneal epithelial cell damage, thereby completing the application of green oat extract in the preparation of health food compositions and pharmaceutical compositions for the prevention and / or treatment of dry eye syndrome.

[0066] Although the implementation of the present invention is described with a limited number of embodiments, it is still possible for a person skilled in the art to make modifications or changes. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should only be limited by the scope of the patent, rather than being limited to the above embodiments.

Claims

1. A use of a green oat extract for preparing a composition for preventing and / or treating dry eye syndrome, characterized in that: The composition is a health food composition or a medical composition.

2. The use according to claim 1, characterized in that The dry eye syndrome is caused by insufficient tear production.

3. The use according to claim 2, characterized in that This dry eye syndrome is caused by the degeneration or apoptosis of lacrimal gland alveolar cells.

4. The use according to claim 1, characterized in that This dry eye syndrome is caused by excessive evaporation of tears.

5. The use according to claim 1, characterized in that The dry eye syndrome is caused by dry corneal surface damage.

6. The use according to claim 1, characterized in that This dry eye syndrome is caused by damage to the corneal epithelial cells.

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