{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T15:56:33Z","timestamp":1786463793240,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786406400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001407","name":"Department of Biotechnology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["BTHRD\/35\/02\/2006"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BTHRD\/35\/02\/2006"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001407","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["BTHRD\/35\/02\/2006"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BTHRD\/35\/02\/2006"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03tjsyq23","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100007214","name":"Centre for Rare and Unknown Eye Disorders","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["1973"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1973"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100007214","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Eicher Shroff Centre for Stem Cell Research"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Mol. Sci.","IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic pediatric ocular allergy that can progress from seasonal to persistent inflammation with vision-threatening complications. Although Th2-associated mechanisms have been implicated, the immune correlates of disease severity are not well defined. Tear samples from VKC patients (moderate intermittent and moderate persistent) and healthy controls were collected using Schirmer\u2019s strips. Cytokine profiling was performed using the OLINK\u00ae Target 48 Cytokine Panel. Differential expression, correlation with clinical features, and pathway enrichment analyses were performed. Compared to control, IL-15, CXCL11, CXCL9, MMP12, and CCL13 were significantly elevated in VKC, with higher levels in the persistent phenotype. These cytokines correlated with symptom duration, limbal involvement, and papillary hypertrophy. Pathway analysis revealed enrichment of IL-17, JAK\u2013STAT, and chemokine signaling pathways. VKC severity is associated with distinct tear cytokine signatures, with the persistent phenotype showing enhanced chronic inflammatory signaling. These findings identify candidate tear-based markers of disease severity that require validation in larger, independent, and longitudinal cohorts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27167180","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T13:46:16Z","timestamp":1786455976000},"page":"7180","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Tear Cytokine Signature in Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis: A Chemokine-Remodeling Axis Associated with Disease Severity"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-6049-183X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kartik","family":"Goel","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Eicher Shroff Centre for Stem Cell Research, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mehak","family":"Sapra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Eicher Shroff Centre for Stem Cell Research, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"Department of Ocular Genetics and Centre for Unknown and Rare Eye Diseases, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-7423-1425","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Prisha","family":"Warikoo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Eicher Shroff Centre for Stem Cell Research, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"College of Pharmacy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shailja","family":"Tibrewal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ocular Genetics and Centre for Unknown and Rare Eye Diseases, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus and Neuro-Ophthalmology, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6142-5489","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hirak","family":"Patra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical Biotechnology, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London NW3 2PS, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8229-4158","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Virender Singh","family":"Sangwan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Eicher Shroff Centre for Stem Cell Research, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"Department of Ocular Genetics and Centre for Unknown and Rare Eye Diseases, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"Department of Cornea and Anterior Segment Services, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abha","family":"Gour","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Eicher Shroff Centre for Stem Cell Research, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"Department of Ocular Genetics and Centre for Unknown and Rare Eye Diseases, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"Department of Cornea and Anterior Segment Services, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anil","family":"Tiwari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Eicher Shroff Centre for Stem Cell Research, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"Department of Ocular Genetics and Centre for Unknown and Rare Eye Diseases, Dr. Shroff\u2019s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi 110002, India"},{"name":"College of Pharmacy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sacchetti, M., Plateroti, R., Bruscolini, A., Giustolisi, R., and Marenco, M. 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