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Updated: Sep 2, 2026

Mucin Agarose Gel Electrophoresis: Western Blotting for High-molecular-weight Glycoproteins
Published on: June 14, 2016
Mucus-stimulating factor in tears
Abstract:
Mechanisms responsible for regulation of tear film mucus are poorly understood. Humoral factors responsible for stimulation of mucus secretion can be studied in vitro by using the free-swimming urn cell, a normal component of the coelomic fluid of the marine invertebrate Sipunculus nudus. With this system, a tear mucus-stimulating factor was found in normal human tears but was markedly decreased in patients with dry eye syndromes. It is suggested that a mucus-stimulating factor exists in normal human tears and that a decrease in this substance may be instrumental in the pathophysiology of certain dry eye syndromes.
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