[Development of corneal storage medium--first report. Examination of rabbit cornea].
OBJECTIVE
To develop and evaluate a new corneal storage medium with a simple formula by histological methods.


METHODS
We compared two corneal storage media, containing minimum essential medium (MEM) and 2.5% chondroitin sulfate, pH 7.33 and osmolality of 320 mOsm/kg, to OPTISOL-GS. The differences in the two media were the molecular weight (MW) and source of chondroitin sulfate. MW of Medium I was 27,500 and MW of Medium II was 33,700. A cornea with scleral rim obtained from a Japanese white rabbit was stored in either Medium I or Medium II and the fellow cornea was stored in OPTISOL-GS for 7 or 14 days at 4 degrees C. Histological examination of corneal endothelial cells was performed both by scanning electron microscopy and by transmission electron microscopy.


RESULTS
At day 7, there was no significant difference in histological findings among the rabbit corneas stored in OPTISOL-GS, Medium I, or Medium II. At day 14, corneas stored in OPTISOL-GS or Medium I showed similar histological findings. In Medium II, endothelial cells showed marked degeneration.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of experiments with rabbit cornea indicated that OPTISOL-GS and Medium I could preserve endothelial cellular structure better than Medium II. The difference between Medium I and Medium II was only the MW of the chondroitin sulfate used. The MW may be an important factor to determine suitable chondroitin sulfate for developing a corneal storage medium.
Tachibana
A
A
Department of Ophthalmology, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchikami-machi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan.
Sawa
M
M
D000818:Animals; D003315:Cornea / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003470:Culture Media; D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions; D011817:Rabbits
D003470:Culture Media; D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions