title: Reconstruction of chemically burned rat corneal surface by bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells.
abstract: To examine whether transplantation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could reconstruct the corneal damage and also whether grafted MSCs could differentiate into corneal epithelial cells, we isolated MSCs from healthy donors. After growth and expansion on amniotic membrane, cells were transplanted into rat corneas 7 days after chemical burns. Reconstruction of the damaged cornea and the rat vision were measured once a week by slit lamp and by an optokinetic head-tracking instrument, respectively. Corneas were then cut out, fixed, and imbedded for immunofluorescent study of the expression of keratin 3 and keratin-pan as epithelial cell markers. Expression of CD45, interleukin 2, and metalloproteinase-2 was also investigated for inflammation and inflammation-related angiogenesis. The data showed that transplantation of MSCs, like limbal epithelial stem cells, successfully reconstructed damaged rat corneal surface. Interestingly, the therapeutic effect of the transplantation may be associated with the inhibition of inflammation and angiogenesis after transplantation of MSCs rather than the epithelial differentiation from MSCs. This study provides the first line of evidence that MSCs can be used for reconstruction of damaged corneas, presenting a new source for autotransplantation in the treatment of corneal disorders.
authors.affiliation: Peking University Stem Cell Research Center and Cell Biology Department, The 3rd Hospital, Peking University Health Science Center, 38 Xueyuan Rd., Haidian, Beijing, China 100083.
authors.forename: Yanling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yongsheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhifeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Yiqin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Lingsong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000502:physiology; D002057:Burns, Chemical; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003315:Cornea / Q000502:physiology*; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D065306:Corneal Injuries; D016510:Corneal Neovascularization; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation; D005126:Eye Burns / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012038:Regeneration; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous