The behaviour of cat and human corneas in organ culture in various media.

The survival in organ culture of cat and human corneas in two chemically-defined media, T8 and MAB87/3 was compared with that in MEM containing foetal bovine serum. The endothelium was assessed by SEM and vital staining with nitroblue tetrazolium after periods of up to 28 days. The cat endothelial cell population increased considerably in density in all the media and the orderly hexagonal arrangement of the cells was lost. The derangement was greater in the chemically-defined media after periods of storage exceeding 7 days. The human endothelial cell population declined slightly in all the media and the cells retained a relatively orderly arrangement. Survival in the chemically-defined media appeared equal to that in MEM. We conclude: 1) the observed differences between the species need to be considered when cat endothelium is used as an experimental model; 2) chemically-defined media appear to be satisfactory for preservation of human corneas by organ culture for periods of at least 7 days.