title: Effects of preservation time on proliferative potential of human limbal stem/progenitor cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the proliferative potential and the maintenance of stem cell activity in stored human limbal tissues, and correlate this with the preservation time, cell viability and the expression of stem cell markers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty limbal rims were split into 4 parts and stored in corneal preservation medium at 4°C for 0, 1, 4, or 7 days. The limbal stem cell and mitotic markers P63, CK19, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and Ki67 were determined by immunohistochemical staining. The proliferative potential of limbal epithelial cells was assessed by cell viability, the ability of generating stratified epithelium, and colony forming assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The stored tissues maintained limbal stratified structure to 7 days and exhibited comparable expression level of stem cell and mitotic markers. The proportion of viable cells decreased with the prolonged preservation time, while colony forming efficiency decreased from the 1(st) day and disappeared at the 4(th) day. When inoculated on amniotic membrane, the cells preserved for 1 day formed a stratified epithelium, while the cells from 4 days' preservation formed a discontinuous layer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The colony forming efficiency of limbal epithelial stem/progenitor cells decreased rapidly with the increasing preservation time, while the expression level of markers and capacity of forming epithelial monolayer on amniotic membrane decreased gradually. The limbal epithelial stem cells lost their function earlier than the lost expression level of stem cell markers. This may help us to better choose the appropriate preservation grafts for future limbal stem cell transplantation.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao 266071, Shandong Province, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hao-Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Ming-Li
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Ling-Ling
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xin-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.forename: Qing-Jun
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Zhou