Adhesion Complex in Cultivated Limbal Epithelium on Amniotic Membrane after in vivo Transplantation

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: To investigate adhesion complex formation in cultivated human limbal epithelium after transplantation into the limbal deficient model. Methods: Cultivated limbal epithelium on amniotic membrane was transplanted into immune suppressed limbal deficient rabbits. The transplanted rabbits and the controls with mechanical wounding were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks. The adhesion complex was examined by electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry Results: Linear staining was observed against collagen type VII and laminin at 4 weeks culture. Morphologically identifiable hemidesmosomes appeared at 1 week and matured adhesion complex was found at 3 weeks. The mean numbers of hemidesmosomes/2.25µm were 2.3±0.9, 2.5±0.5, 5.2±1.0, and 4.0±0.9 at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks, which was smaller than that in the controls (p<0.05) It reached to 137.4% of the density of hemidesmosomes in human cornea at 3 weeks. The average depths of anchoring fibril were 0.10±0.03, 0.27±0.06, 0.45±0.06, and 0.46±0.12 µm at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks, reaching 75.0% of that in the human cornea after 3 weeks. Conclusions: Adhesion complex formation of transplanted human epithelium was delayed compared with that in the rabbit, however, the assembly nearly recovered to the level of that in the human cornea after 3 weeks

Keywords: cell adhesions/cell junctions • cornea: epithelium • anatomy