Objective: To determine whether androgen receptors affect the fatty acid profiles of neutral and polar lipids in human meibomian gland secretions.
Methods: Meibomian gland secretion samples were obtained from both eyes of (1) women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, a condition characterized by dysfunctional androgen receptors, and (2) age-matched female and male controls. Samples were processed for high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, or both and for analysis of the mass spectra of neutral and polar lipid fatty acid fragment ions by 3 different methods.
Results: Androgen receptor dysfunction is associated with significant alterations in the appearance of numerous molecular species in the neutral and polar lipid fractions of meibomian gland secretions. The ability to detect these differences, and to assess their nature and extent, was facilitated by the use of several analytic approaches. Sex-related differences exist in the expression of a variety of neutral and, especially, polar fatty acid products in meibomian gland secretions.
Conclusions: Androgens exert a significant effect on neutral and polar lipids in human meibomian gland secretions, and these hormonal effects may be mediated through androgen receptors.