Survival of the posterior lamellar cornea graft keratocytes and endothelial cells cultivated in the modified corneal preservation media

Purpose. To study the survival of keratocytes and endothelial cells of a human donor cornea storage in the standard and the new media which was specifically designed for optim ized cornea hydration.Material and methods. 2D cell cultures of keratocytes and endothelial cells obtained from the Eye tissue bank were used for culture in improved storage media over a period of 14 and 7 days subsequently. To confirm phenotype characteristics, the cells were stained by the following markers: for keratocytes – Lumikan, Keratocan, and α-smooth muscle actin; for endothelial cells – ZO-1 and Na/K-ATPase. The onset of apoptosis in cell culture of keratocytes were detected with Cytochrome C, BAX, and Caspase 3 and 8. Viability of cell cultures after the cultivation was carried out using a commercial set of «Live and Dead». Morphology of the endothelial cells was assessed using an electron scanning microscope.Results. It was shown that the 2D keratocyte culture cultured in the improved storage media expressed specific markers: Lumican, Keratocan, and did not express α-smooth muscle actin. There were no markers of apoptosis in the cell culture of keratocytes after 14 days of cultivation. Corneal endothelium cultured in the improved storage media expresses ZO-1, Na/K-ATPase and presented hexagonal cell shape morphology according to electron microscopy.Conclusion. The improved storage media allow to preserve the unique phenotype of keratocytes, with a slight decrease in proliferative cells activity during 14 days. The media maintain a viable and functional corneal endothelium for at least seven da ys of cultivation