Marie Boulze Pankert1, Benjamin Goyer2, Fatma Zaguia3, Myriam Bareille3, Marie-Claude Perron3, Xinling Liu4, J Douglas Cameron5, Stéphanie Proulx6, Isabelle Brunette4. 1. Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada Département d'ophtalmologie, Université d'Aix-Marseille, Marseille, France. 2. Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe médecine régénératrice, Hôpital St-Sacrement, CUO-Recherche, and Centre de recherche en organogenèse expérimentale de l'Université Laval/LOEX, Québec City, Québec, Canada. 3. Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada. 4. Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada Department of Ophthalmology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Québec, Canada. 5. Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. 6. Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe médecine régénératrice, Hôpital St-Sacrement, CUO-Recherche, and Centre de recherche en organogenèse expérimentale de l'Université Laval/LOEX, Québec City, Québec, Canada Département d'ophtalmologie et d'oto-rhino-laryngologie - chirurgie maxillo-faciale, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Corneal tissue shortage has become a major concern worldwide, which has motivated the search for alternative solutions to eye bank human eyes for corneal transplantation. Minimally invasive lamellar transplantation and tissue engineering may offer new opportunities for the rehabilitation of diseased corneas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility and functionality of stromal lamellar grafts tissue-engineered (TE) in vitro and transplanted in vivo in the cornea of a feline model. METHODS: The corneal stromas were engineered in culture from corneal stromal cells using the self-assembly approach, without the addition of exogenous material or scaffold. Eight healthy animals underwent two intrastromal grafts in one eye and the contralateral eye was used as a control. Animals were followed with slit-lamp ophthalmic examination, corneal esthesiometry and optical coherent tomography. Confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence, histology, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed at 4 months. RESULTS: Four months after transplantation, the TE-stromal grafts were transparent, functional, and well tolerated by the eye. All grafts remained avascular, with no signs of immune rejection, despite a short course of low-dose topical steroids. Corneal sensitivity returned to preoperative level and reinnervation of the grafts was confirmed by confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence. Histology and TEM of the TE-grafts showed a lamellar stromal structure with regular collagen fibril arrangement. CONCLUSIONS: These results open the way to an entirely new therapeutic modality. Intracorneal filling using a biocompatible, transparent, and malleable TE-stroma could be the basis for multiple types of novel therapeutic options in corneal interventional surgery. Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
PURPOSE: Corneal tissue shortage has become a major concern worldwide, which has motivated the search for alternative solutions to eye bank human eyes for corneal transplantation. Minimally invasive lamellar transplantation and tissue engineering may offer new opportunities for the rehabilitation of diseased corneas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility and functionality of stromal lamellar grafts tissue-engineered (TE) in vitro and transplanted in vivo in the cornea of a feline model. METHODS: The corneal stromas were engineered in culture from corneal stromal cells using the self-assembly approach, without the addition of exogenous material or scaffold. Eight healthy animals underwent two intrastromal grafts in one eye and the contralateral eye was used as a control. Animals were followed with slit-lamp ophthalmic examination, corneal esthesiometry and optical coherent tomography. Confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence, histology, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed at 4 months. RESULTS: Four months after transplantation, the TE-stromal grafts were transparent, functional, and well tolerated by the eye. All grafts remained avascular, with no signs of immune rejection, despite a short course of low-dose topical steroids. Corneal sensitivity returned to preoperative level and reinnervation of the grafts was confirmed by confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence. Histology and TEM of the TE-grafts showed a lamellar stromal structure with regular collagen fibril arrangement. CONCLUSIONS: These results open the way to an entirely new therapeutic modality. Intracorneal filling using a biocompatible, transparent, and malleable TE-stroma could be the basis for multiple types of novel therapeutic options in corneal interventional surgery. Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
Authors: Fatima N Syed-Picard; Yiqin Du; Andrew J Hertsenberg; Rachelle Palchesko; Martha L Funderburgh; Adam W Feinberg; James L Funderburgh Journal: J Tissue Eng Regen Med Date: 2017-05-31 Impact factor: 3.963
Authors: Alejandro Juarez; Mohamed Djallali; Marilyse Piché; Mathieu Thériault; Marc Groleau; Sharifa Beroual; Christopher D McTiernan; Grace Lin; Pierre Hélie; Michel Carrier; May Griffith; Isabelle Brunette Journal: Front Bioeng Biotechnol Date: 2021-12-15