Feasibility and safety of porcine Descemet's membrane as a carrier for generating tissue-engineered corneal endothelium.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of porcine Descemet's membrane (DM) as a carrier for the generation of tissue-engineered corneal endothelium by analyzing porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) and the α-gal epitope. The morphology of porcine and human DM was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy. Immunohistochemical staining was used to investigate the location of α-gal epitopes on porcine DM used for xenotransplantation. The porcine DM was treated with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EDGE) for 2 weeks, and then the PERV gene sequences in porcine DM and DM-EDGE were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR, respectively. The porcine DM had tight basement membrane morphology, which was similar to human DM in terms of thickness. No positive immunohistochemical staining of the α-gal epitope was detected in porcine DM. PERV expression of pol, gag, env-A and env-B was noted in porcine DM, but in DM-EDGE it was completely degraded. Based on structural, immunological and etiological studies, porcine DM may be an ideal and viable carrier for the generation of tissue-engineered corneal endothelium.
Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, P.R. China.
Yu-Mei
YM
Diao
Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, P.R. China.
Jing
J
Hong
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003886:Descemet Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure* / Q000821:virology; D004187:Disaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000166:cytology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013552:Swine; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D004187:Disaccharides; D000939:Epitopes; C055075:galactosyl-(1-3)galactose