Lacrimal gland, cornea, and tear film in the NZB/NZW F1 hybrid mouse.

The NZB/NZW F1 hybrid mouse has been reported to contract a disease similar to Sjögren's syndrome in man. We studied lacrimal gland morphology, corneal morphology, and tear osmolarity in this mouse as a function of age. Lacrimal glands of hybrid mice contained abnormal periductal infiltrates of lymphocytes and plasma cells. Maximum infiltration of the lacrimal gland occurred in the 29-week-old female hybrid mouse and was estimated to involve 12% of the gland, but was insufficient to alter tear osmolarity relative to DBA and Balb/c control mice. Nevertheless, both NZB/NZW F1 hybrid mice and DBA and Balb/c control mice had tear osmolarity and corneal surface morphology similar to that reported for keratoconjunctivitis sicca in man. Although the NZB/NZW F1 hybrid mouse may provide a valuable model for the study of lacrimal gland infiltration, since its tear osmolarity and ocular surface remain normal for a mouse, its usefulness as a model for ocular surface disease in human keratoconjunctivitis sicca may be more limited than previously thought.