title: Semi-quantitative assessments of dextran toxicity on corneal endothelium: conceptual design of a predictive algorithm.
abstract: Dextran is added to corneal culture medium for at least 8 h prior to transplantation to ensure that the cornea is osmotically dehydrated. It is presumed that dextran has a certain toxic effect on corneal endothelium but the degree and the kinetics of this effect have not been quantified so far. We consider that such data regarding the toxicity of dextran on the corneal endothelium could have an impact on scheduling and logistics of corneal preparation in eye banking. In retrospective statistic analyses, we compared the progress of corneal endothelium (endothelium cell loss per day) of 1334 organ-cultured corneal explants in media with and without dextran. Also, the influence of donor-age, sex and cause of death on the observed dextran-mediated effect on endothelial cell counts was studied. Corneas cultured in dextran-free medium showed a mean endothelium cell count decrease of 0.7% per day. Dextran supplementation led to a mean endothelium cell loss of 2.01% per day; this reflects an increase by the factor of 2.9. The toxic impact of dextran was found to be time dependent; while the prevailing part of the effect was observed within the first 24 h after dextran-addition. Donor age, sex and cause of death did not seem to have an influence on the dextran-mediated toxicity. Based on these findings, we could design an algorithm which approximately describes the kinetics of dextran-toxicity. We reproduced the previously reported toxic effect of dextran on the corneal endothelium in vitro. Additionally, this is the first work that provides an algorithmic instrument for the semi-quantitative calculation of the putative endothelium cell count decrease in dextran containing medium for a given incubation time and could thus influence the time management and planning of corneal transplantations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martitistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. flip_flev@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Filev
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martitistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.|Department of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martitistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ceprail
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oezcan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martitistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feuerstacke
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martitistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Linke
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martitistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wulff
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martitistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Olaf J C
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Hellwinkel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003470:Culture Media / Q000633:toxicity*; D003911:Dextrans / Q000633:toxicity*; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D009926:Organ Preservation / Q000379:methods; D014019:Tissue Donors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D003911:Dextrans
keywords: Cornea; Dextran; Donor; Endothelium