{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,17]],"date-time":"2026-10-17T04:32:24Z","timestamp":1792211544444,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,10]],"date-time":"2025-09-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757462400000},"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. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>To determine the corneal subbasal nerve parameters associated with ocular chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) and their relationships with tear cytokine levels.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Twenty-six ocular cGVHD patients, eight non-GVHD patients and 20 dry eye disease patients were recruited. The corneal subbasal nerve parameters were detected using <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic> confocal microscopy. The density and tortuosity scale of the corneal nerve were examined. Clinical characteristics, ocular surface parameters and tear cytokine levels, including NGF-\u03b2, G-CSF, GM-CSF, M-CSF, FGF1, FGF2, Fas-L, PDGF-CC, and CD137, were also analyzed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Compared with DED patients, GVHD patients have significantly greater corneal subbasal nerve tortuosity and lower density; however, no differences were noted compared with non-GVHD patients. NGF-\u03b2, G-CSF, GM-CSF, M-CSF, FGF1, FGF2, Fas-L, and CD137 levels were evaluated in the tears of GVHD patients compared with those of DED patients. M-CSF, FGF1, and Fas-L were present at higher concentrations in GVHD patients than in non-GVHD patients. The PDGF-CC concentration was lower in the GVHD group compared with the non-GVHD group. M-CSF, GM-CSF, FGF1, FGF2, Fas-L, CD137, and PDGF-CC levels are associated with the density of the corneal subbasal nerve. M-CSF, GM-CSF, FGF1, FGF2, Fas-L, and CD137 levels correlated with the tortuosity of the subbasal nerve.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>In ocular cGVHD patients, the corneal subbasal nerve has a lower density and greater tortuosity but is similar to that in non-GVHD patients. IVCM findings of the corneal subbasal nerve are likely associated with tear cytokine changes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Clinical trial registration<\/jats:title><jats:p>Identifier ChiCTR2100051883.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1662302","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,10]],"date-time":"2025-09-10T05:26:06Z","timestamp":1757481966000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Corneal subbasal nerve alterations and tear cytokine associations in ocular chronic graft-versus-host disease"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Yinghan","family":"Zhao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiao","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhan","family":"Shen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bohao","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rongmei","family":"Peng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shuwan","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chendi","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jing","family":"Hong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"697","DOI":"10.1016\/j.survophthal.2023.02.006","article-title":"Ocular 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