title: Three-Dimensional Construction of a Rabbit Anterior Corneal Replacement for Lamellar Keratoplasty.
abstract: The aim of this study was to construct a rabbit anterior corneal replacement for transplantation using acellular porcine corneal matrix (APCM) and rabbit epithelial or stromal cells. APCM was prepared from fresh porcine cornea treated with 0.5% (wt./vol.) sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution. The expanded stromal cells were first injected into APCM parallel to its surface and were cultured in a shaking culture system for 7 days to obtain the stromal construct. Next, corneal epithelial cells were cultured on the stromal construct surface for another 7 days to obtain rabbit anterior corneal lamella. The construct had a phenotype similar to that of normal cornea, with high expression of cytokeratin 3 in the epithelial cell layer and vimentin in the stromal cells. More importantly, the construct integrated well with the implanted host corneal tissue, and the implant cornea maintained transparency in the 6-month follow-up, although there was a slight haze in the central corneal area. The endothelium in the surgery cornea had a similar cell density and mosaic pattern with normal cornea as shown by confocal laser corneal microscopy, and the regenerated corneal epithelial cells on the implant surface showed a similar morphology to that of natural epithelial cells. These results demonstrate that the constructed anterior corneal replacement exhibits an excellent biological property for lamellar keratoplasty and might be a possible alternative to human corneal tissue in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.|Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education and Chinese Ministry of Health, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Kunpeng
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Liqun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Chenyang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Chengqun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Xinyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000166:cytology; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000166:cytology; D011817:Rabbits; D013552:Swine; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods