title: Measurement of light transmission of human limbal epithelial cells cultured on human amniotic membranes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the light transmission properties of human limbal epithelial cell sheets (LECSs) cultured on human amniotic membranes (AMs) and compare them with those of AMs with and without amniotic epithelium.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total light transmission of 3 kinds of tissue (LECSs, intact AMs, denuded AMs) was measured in the 250- to 800-nm range by using a spectrophotometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percent transmission of each kind of tissue decreased gradually and continually throughout the spectrum as the wavelength shortened and dropped rapidly at 300 nm to less than 20% at 250 nm. All tissues transmitted more than 70% of light in the wavelength region greater than 400 nm and more than 90% in that greater than 600 nm. The percent transmission spectrum of all tissues showed identical curves in the visible light and UV-A regions. However, the percent transmission of LECSs was lower than that of either intact or denuded AMs in the UV-B and UV-C regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the visible and UV-A light region, the percent transmission profiles of amnion-related tissues (LECSs, intact AMs, denuded AMs) are not altered by the presence of either amniotic epithelium or multilayered limbal corneal epithelium. However, the presence of multilayered limbal corneal epithelium, but not amniotic epithelium, on amniotic stroma reduced UV-B and -C transmission significantly. Further study concerning light transmission and other physical properties of LECSs is necessary to fully understand the ocular physiology of eyes grafted with such newly developed bioengineered tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ijiri
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshita
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokogawa
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
mesh_terms: D000650:Amnion / Q000166:cytology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000166:cytology*; D010783:Photometry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays