Abstract: Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of TCDD on experimental allergic conjunctivitis (EAC) in mice. Design Experimental study. Participants Twenty-four female BALB/c mice were divided into 2 groups randomly, TCDD group and control group. Methods BALB/c mice were injected 1μg of TCDD 1 day before immunization with ragweed (RW). The control group was injected with equal olive oil. Ten days after immunization, the mice eyes were dropped with RW-containing eye drops. The clinical manifestation of the eyes include eyelid hyperemia and edema, tears were observed. The mice were sacrificed 24 hours latter. The eyes balls and the eyelids were removed for pathological analysis. The number of eosinophil infiltration was counted. The spleens were removed and the lymphocytes were isolated, and stimulated by the specific antigen Ragweed and anti-CD3mAb respectively. IL4, IL-5, IFN-γ, IL-10 were measured by ELISA, and the cell proliferation reaction was detected with 3H-TdR incorporation by liquid scintillation counting pulses per minute value determination apparatus. Main Outcome Measures Clinical manifestation of the eyes include eyelid hyperemia and edema, tears. Expression of cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IFN-γ, IL-10) and the proliferation response. Results There were no obvious clinical symptoms found in TCDD group. While the control group mice appeared different degree of tears, conjunctival congestion and others. IL-4 and IL-5 didn’t be detected in TCDD group and (5.34±0.82) pg/ml, (3.56 ±0.11)pg/ml in control group respectively (t=2.3, P=0.025). After stimulation with anti-CD3mAb, the production of IL-4 and IL-5 were (2.31±0.49) pg/ml, (3.16±0.66) pg/ml in TCDD group and (2.8±1.12) pg/ml, (4.3±0.89) pg/ml in control group (t=0.15, P=0.078). The cell proliferation reaction after RW antigen stimulated were (300±13) cpm and (1500±15) cpm respectively in TCDD group and control group (P=0.01), and (15 500±550) cpm, (16 700±670) cpm after anti-CD3mAb stimulation (P=0.071). Conclusions TCDD inhibits the development of experimental allergic conjunctivitis in mice. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2015, 24: 128-131)

Key words: allergic conjunctivitis, 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzop-dioxin