title: K-Sol corneal preservation at room temperature.
abstract: K-Sol, a recently developed corneal storage medium that contains purified chondroitin sulphate in tissue culture medium (TC 199), is capable of preserving corneal tissue for 14 days at 4 degrees C. To study the effect of tissue storage in K-Sol at room temperature we preserved rabbit corneas in K-Sol and M-K medium for three or seven days at 25 degrees C. All of the corneal endothelial sheets were intact after three days. At seven days the change in pH of the K-Sol medium was less than that of M-K medium. Corneas preserved in M-K medium showed swelling of mitochondria and a decrease in the number of cytoplasmic organelles. Corneas preserved in K-Sol had organised cytoplasmic organelles and nuclei. Scanning electron micrographs revealed well preserved endothelial sheets. Corneas stored in the two media showed no significant difference in thickness. A pair of human corneas preserved in K-Sol at room temperature for six days maintained about 95% of the endothelial sheet in good condition. Small separations were observed between some of the endothelial cells. However, even in these areas, the cytoplasmic organelles were well preserved. It appeared that K-Sol is more stable than M-K medium at room temperature, and that both rabbit and human corneas can be preserved in good condition in K-Sol for at least six days at 25 degrees C.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002807:Chondroitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D003315:Cornea / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005839:Gentamicins; D006531:HEPES; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009940:Organoids / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010879:Piperazines; D011817:Rabbits; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014021:Tissue Preservation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005839:Gentamicins; C051174:K-Sol preserving medium; D010879:Piperazines; D002807:Chondroitin; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D006531:HEPES