Abstract
Purpose:
To investigate the composition of the corneal epithelium stem cell microenvironment especially the role of limbal stroma.
Methods:
The APLS prepared by the decellularization method by using PLA2. The different rabbit limbal autograft transplantation models were established to detect the expression pattern changes on corneal epithelium differentiation marker K3, limbal epithelial stem cells-associated marker P63 and proliferating cell nuclear marker Ki67 in limbal autografts using immunofluorescence staining.
Results:
The decellularization method by using PLA2 could remove almost all of the xenogenetic cells and, at the same time, had little adverse effect on the three-dimensional structure of the ECM in native tissues. And the APLS prepared by this decellularization procedure could preserve the limbal stroma microenvironment to support limbal epithelial stem cells with the high level of limbal epithelial stem cells-associated marker P63 and proliferating cell nuclear marker Ki67.
Conclusions:
The limbal stroma is an important part of the corneal epithelium stem cell microenviroment and plays a dominant role in maintaining the characteristics of limbal epithelial stem cells.
Keywords: 480 cornea: basic science •
484 cornea: stroma and keratocytes •
721 stem cells