DOI

Ocular surface reconstruction is essential for treating corneal epithelial defects and vision recovery. Stem cell-based therapy demonstrates promising results but requires further research to elucidate stem cell survival, growth, and differentiation after transplantation in vivo. This study examined the corneal reconstruction promoted by EGFP-labeled limbal mesenchymal stem cells (L-MSCs-EGFP) and their fate after transplantation. EGFP labeling allowed us to evaluate the migration and survival rates of the transferred cells. L-MSCs-EGFP seeded onto decellularized human amniotic membrane (dHAM) were transplanted into rabbits with a modeled limbal stem cell deficiency. The localization and viability of the transplanted cells in animal tissue were analyzed using histology, immunohistochemistry, and confocal microscopy up to 3 months after transplantation. EGFP-labeled cells remained viable for the first 14 days after transplantation. By the 90th day, epithelialization of the rabbit corneas reached 90%, but the presence of viable labeled cells was not observed within the newly formed epithelium. Although labeled cells demonstrated low survivability in host tissue, the squamous corneal-like epithelium was partially restored by the 30th day after transplantation of the tissue-engineered graft. Overall, this study paves the way for further optimization of transplantation conditions and studying the mechanisms of corneal tissue restoration.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5431
JournalInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences
Volume24
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 12 Mar 2023

    Research areas

  • GFP-labeled cells, ocular cell therapy, cornea regeneration, regenerative ophthalmology, mesenchymal stem cells, Rabbits, Cornea, Humans, Cells, Cultured, Epithelium, Corneal/metabolism, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Limbus Corneae, Limbal Stem Cells, Stem Cell Transplantation, Animals

    Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)

ID: 103479725