Chemical Injuries Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Exp Eye Res. 2021 Apr;205:108451. doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108451. Epub 2021 Feb 1.
The present study was conducted to evaluate safety of grafting acellular human corneal lenticule seeded with Wharton's Jelly-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJSC) in an experimental animal model. Human corneal lenticules were decellularized with a rate of about 97% with an acceptable lack of cytotoxicity and relatively intact ultrastructure of the lenticules. 12 rabbits underwent unilateral stromal pocketing with implantation of decellularized lenticules. Implantation was performed for 6 rabbits along with graft recellularization with WJSCs. Rabbits were euthanized after 1 month (n = 6) and 3 months (n = 6) to evaluate progression of graft bio-integration. No clinical rejection sign was detected during the study. Histopathological analysis showed that, grafts were integrated well with the least distortion of surrounding collagen bundles. After 3 months, labeled WJCS was detected representing viability of stem cells in the host. Increased expression of keratocyte-specific markers showed the potential of recruiting WJSCs as keratocyte progenitor cells to reinforce corneal ultrastructure.
本研究旨在评估经 Wharton 胶衍生间充质干细胞（WJSC）接种的去细胞人角膜小体在实验动物模型中的安全性。人角膜小体的去细胞化率约为 97%，具有可接受的低细胞毒性和相对完整的小体超微结构。12 只兔子接受了单侧基质袋植入去细胞化小体的手术。其中 6 只兔子进行了植入和 WJSC 再细胞化的手术。1 个月（n=6）和 3 个月（n=6）后处死兔子，以评估移植物的生物整合进展。研究过程中未发现临床排斥迹象。组织病理学分析显示，移植物与周围胶原束的最小扭曲相结合，整合良好。3 个月后，检测到标记的 WJSC，代表宿主中干细胞的活力。角膜细胞特异性标志物的表达增加表明，WJSC 作为角膜细胞前体细胞招募的潜力，可增强角膜超微结构。
