{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,10]],"date-time":"2026-10-10T02:15:16Z","timestamp":1791598516607,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761264000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Dry eye disease (DED) commonly leads to compromised corneal epithelial integrity and chronic ocular surface inflammation; however, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying impaired corneal healing remain incompletely understood. In this study, we established an aqueous\u2010deficient DED mouse model via extraorbital lacrimal gland excision (LGE) to investigate the cellular and molecular events contributing to delayed corneal repair following epithelial injury. Our results demonstrated significant delays in corneal re\u2010epithelialization and nerve regeneration in aqueous\u2010deficient mice, accompanied by increased infiltration of neutrophils and \u03b3\u03b4 T cells. Transcriptomic profiling revealed robust activation of NF\u2010\u03baB\u2010dependent inflammatory signaling and IL\u20106 pathways, alongside marked suppression of genes associated with essential metabolic processes involved in tissue repair. Targeted pharmacological inhibition of NF\u2010\u03baB using caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), or neutralization of IL\u20106 via topical anti-IL\u20106 antibody administration, effectively attenuated immune cell infiltration, accelerated epithelial regeneration, and enhanced nerve recovery. Collectively, our findings suggest that NF-\u03baB\/IL-6 signaling plays a key role in sustaining inflammation that impairs corneal healing, and that targeting this axis partially improves epithelial and neural outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2025.1684290","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T04:14:47Z","timestamp":1761279287000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["NF-\u03baB\/IL-6 axis drives impaired corneal wound healing in aqueous-deficient dry eye"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Cuipei","family":"Lin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiaxin","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuxin","family":"Jing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jingbin","family":"Xie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiayan","family":"Xiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qiwei","family":"Fan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiangman","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jingheng","family":"Du","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiukui","family":"Tan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhudan","family":"Zhuang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yunxia","family":"Xue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ting","family":"Fu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jun","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhijie","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.31348\/2020\/29","article-title":"Dry eye disease. 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