title: Influence of donor age, post-mortem time and cold storage on metabolic profile of human cornea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Limited knowledge exists about the influence of donor age and death-to-preservation interval (DPI) on the metabolic properties of the cornea. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between both factors and metabolite content of the cornea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Corneas from 15 human donors (age: 41-78 years) were obtained within 16 hrs post-mortem and kept in cold storage for 8 days. The metabolic profiles of the samples were investigated using high-resolution, magic angle spinning (1) H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy before and after 8 days of preservation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two metabolites were detected and assigned in the corneal spectra. The significant metabolic differences before and after hypothermic storage were revealed between younger and older donors. DPI-related significant differences revealed before preservation of the corneas were not displayed after 8 days of cold storage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age of donor as well as post-mortem time influences the biochemical properties of the cornea. Cold storage decreases the metabolite differences between the tissues collected at different post-mortem time.
authors: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. kryczka.tomasz@gmail.com
authors: Tomasz
authors: T
authors: Kryczka
authors: Jacek P
authors: JP
authors: Szaflik
authors: Jerzy
authors: J
authors: Szaflik
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Midelfart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D015925:Cryopreservation; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D055442:Metabolome; D008875:Middle Aged; D009926:Organ Preservation; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors