Meibum lipid composition in type 2 diabetics with dry eye

The purpose of this investigation was to analyze and compare the composition of meibum between type 2 diabetics with dry eye disease (DED) and control subjects to better reveal the pathologic mechanisms of the meibomian gland degeneration (MGD) and DED in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). 90 subjects were divided into the following 4 groups: DM-DED group: T2DM patients with DED (n = 30); DM control group: DM patients without DED (n = 18); DED group: DED patients without DM (n = 26); naive control group: normal subjects (n = 16). The lipid composition of meibum samples collected from these subjects was analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) system. The content of lipid features from 12 major lipid classes was compared among the 4 groups. A significantly lower level of triacylglycerols (TG) and wax esters (WE) was found between DM-DED patients and normal controls (P