Figure 2. Upregulation of IL-33 and ST2 expression in the CIC samples of patients with dry eye. A: Western blotting for interleukin (IL)-33 and ST2 protein expression in parts of conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) specimens. B: Relative quantification of IL-33 showed statistically significant upregulation in the DE group compared with the controls (relative 9.25-fold upregulation, ****p≤0.0001; Kruskal-Wallis test, 17 and 15 samples in DE and controls respectively). C: Relative quantification of ST2 showed statistically significant upregulation in the DE group compared with the controls (relative 4.35-fold upregulation, *p≤0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test, 15 and 19 samples in DE and controls respectively). DE, dry eye.