No consequence of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency on the severity of scopolamine-induced dry eye

International audience; Purpose:Epidemiological studies suggest that dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may protect against prevalence of dry eye. This work aimed to evaluate whether a dietary deficiency in omega-3 PUFAs may increase the severity of dry eye in a scopolamine-induced rat model. Methods:Three consecutive generations of Lewis rats were bred under diets deprived of omega-3 PUFAs. Dry eye was experimentally induced by continuous scopolamine delivery in female animals from the third deficient generation and in female Lewis rats fed for three generations with a balanced diet. After 14 days of treatment, the clinical signs of ocular dryness were evaluated in vivo us…