title: Impact of organ culturing on metabolic profile of human corneas: preliminary results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is suggested that the quality of corneal graft may depend on modifications that appear in the tissue during culturing. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in the metabolic profile between cultured and noncultured human corneas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Corneas from 12 donors were obtained post-mortem and cultured for 6-20 days. Control corneas were obtained from four patients with malignant melanoma of the chorioidea and were kept frozen at -80 °C until analysed. The metabolic profiles of the samples were investigated using high-resolution, magic angle spinning (1) H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and special software for: (i) analysis of complex mixtures, (ii) principal component analysis and (iii) specialized statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty metabolites were detected and assigned in the corneas. Significant differences in metabolic profiles between cultured and noncultured corneas were revealed. It was also shown in samples kept in culture for 9-14 days that the levels of (i) alanine, formate, lactate and (ii) acetate, alanine, arginine, lactate were elevated in comparison with the samples kept for <9 and more than 14 days, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corneal culturing affects the metabolic profile of the tissue. The increases in the levels of some metabolites within the second week of culturing likely result from variations in tissue metabolic or enzymatic activity caused by changed (organ culture) environment. As the mechanisms responsible for these changes are not clear, further research is indicated.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. kryczka.tomasz@gmail.com
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kryczka
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ehlers
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Midelfart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism*; D003470:Culture Media; D020404:Glycerophospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D014019:Tissue Donors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D003470:Culture Media; D020404:Glycerophospholipids