Measurement of light transmission of human limbal epithelial cells cultured on human amniotic membranes.
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.
Ijiri
Shigeyuki
S
Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan.
Kobayashi
Akira
A
Yoshita
Tsuyoshi
T
Yokogawa
Hideaki
H
Sugiyama
Kazuhisa
K
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