Bar graphs showing (A) mean levels of tissue inhibitor of
metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) and (B) the ratios of the amounts of
neutrophil collagenase (MMP-8) and gelatinase B (MMP-9) to TIMP-1 in tears of
Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) and healthy
control (controls) eyes. (A) SJS (7 eyes), OCP (24 eyes) and
controls (33 eyes) tears were assayed using a fluorimetric bead-based
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay where all values were standardized to
µg of protein loaded (ng/µg protein). The P values are shown on
the graph (* statistically significant, Kruskal-Wallis test). (B)
MMP/TIMP-1 ratios in SJS (7 eyes), OCP (23 eyes) and controls (32 eyes) tears
were calculated and compared to their controls and between disease groups
(*P<0.05, **P<0.01,
***P<0.001, Kruskal-Wallis test). The error bars
indicate the standard errors of the mean.