Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Therapeutic Tools in Ocular Surface Disorder and Lacrimal Gland Regeneration

Objectives: Due to the direct exposure to the external environment, ocular surface has the most frequent injury sequences and disease manifestation. The ocular surface has a very significant role in vision. Inflammation is the hallmark, and several cues are yet to be understood to define their etiological significance in the disease progression. However, if this inflammation occurs for a more extended time, it can cause mild to severe levels of dry eye condition, i.e. dry eye disease. DE is a multifactorial disease that occurs due to the deficiency of the aqueous layer of the tear film. The primary purpose of this study is to gain knowledge about the therapeutic role of mesenchymal stem cells and effective cell-based therapy for the regeneration of the lacrimal gland. The different therapeutic techniques of MSCs in different animal/human models and their effects are also discussed in this article. Background: Researchers have been focusing their attention on MSC in recent years because of its unique properties and promising results. MSCs are the residential stem cells in the different parts of the ocular surface. Therefore, any disorder or perturbation in the ocular surface constituents can cause ocular surface disorder (OSD). OSD severely affects eyesight by damaging the epithelial layer of the eye, namely the cornea and conjunctiva. OSD includes Dry eye syndrome (DES), blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), allergic eye disease (AED).