Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the potential use of anterior lens capsuleapsul for the growth of autologous or heterologous limbal stem cells for ocular surface reconstruction.
Materials and Methods: :
Anterior lens capsules from patients were removed at the time of cataract surgery. Lens capsules were placed in distilled sterile water to remove any remaining epithelial cells adhered to the capsule. Lens capsules were plated on treated 35mm polystyrene tissue culture plates and then limbal biopsies were collected from the same (autologous) or different (heterologous) patients and placed into sterile tubes containing culture media DMEM/F12 and seeded onto lens capsules.
Results: :
Anterior lens capsules showed to be a very good biological material for supporting the growth of limbal stem cells from autologous or heterologous origin. Cultures were maintained for over a month in healthy and proliferative conditions.
Conclusions: :
Human anterior lens capsules containing collagen type IV, can be used as a source of support material for the in vitro expansion of limbal stem cells from cornea of different patients. The need for a biological and biocompatible material to serve as a support for the expansion of corneal stem cells from limbus that can be applied in cases of cornea degeneration or limbal deficiency and the fact that such capsules can be used in an autologous or heterologous fashion, makes the use of anterior lens capsule a very promising tool for the treatment of corneal deficiencies.
Keywords: cornea: clinical science • crystalline lens • regeneration