Porcine Cornea Storage Ex Vivo Model as an Alternative to Human Donor Tissues for Investigations of Endothelial Layer Preservation.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Due to the growing shortage of human corneas for research, we developed a porcine cornea storage model with qualitative features comparable to human tissues.

Methods

We established a decontamination procedure for porcine eye bulbs to ensure corneal storage at 31°C to 35°C for up to 28 days without contamination. We compared human and porcine corneas under hypothermic (2-8°C) or culture (31-35°C) conditions for central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal transparency, endothelial morphology, endothelial cell density (ECD), and a novel method to quantify whole endothelial mortality. We also examined portions of lamellar tissues consisting of Descemet's membrane and endothelial cells under the microscope after Alizarin red staining.

Results

Our decontamination proce

SUBMITTER: Rodella U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10148656 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature