Identifying potential drug targets for seborrhoeic dermatitis and dry eye syndrome through mendelian randomisation analysis

Clinical relevance Patients with seborrhoeic dermatitis frequently experience comorbid dry eye syndrome, which complicates clinical management. Identifying shared drug targets is a promising strategy for developing novel therapies that concurrently address both conditionggs.Background Ocular involvement is common in seborrhoeic dermatitis and frequently leads to dry eye syndrome, underscoring the importance of identifying shared drug targets for dual-pathway therapy.Methods A two-sample Mendelian Randomisation (MR) analysis was conducted to identify potential drug targets. Sensitivity and colocalization analyses were performed to confirm shared targets. External replication and summary-data-based MR were used to validate target accuracy. Gene enrichment analysis and drug prediction were employed to explore functional pathways and potential therapeutics.Results MR analysis revealed 65 plasma proteins causally associated with seborrhoeic dermatitis (P < 0.05) and 68 with dry eye syndrome (P < 0.05). Colocalization and external replication demonstrated that KRT5 exhibited significant positive causal associations with both seborrhoeic dermatitis (OR = 1.535, 95%CI: 1.092–2.159, P = 0.014) and dry eye syndrome (OR = 2.219, 95%CI: 1.267–3.887, P = 0.005). Gene enrichment analysis indicated that target genes were primarily involved in keratinisation pathways. Drug prediction identified imipenem monohydrate as a potential therapeutic candidate.Conclusion KRT5 is identified as a promising drug target for both conditions, with imipenem monohydrate as a potential treatment. These findings provide novel therapeutic avenues.