Histochemical and morphological study of the regenerating corneal epithelium after limbus-to-limbus denudation.

Two typical characteristics of the limbal epithelium, namely, its high mitochondria content and histochemically proven proclivity towards carbonic anhydrase staining, were used to identify regenerating corneal epithelium as originating from the limbus. In addition, the period necessary for metaplasia of limbus epithelial cells into typical corneal epithelia was studied in light of these two criteria. It was proven that, on completion of the morphological transformation, after 7 days the positive carbonic anhydrase reaction was identifiable only in the basal cells of the limbus area, as in those of the control animals. It is concluded that in the early phase of reepithelialization, the forward-proliferating epithelial cells can be directly traced to the basal limbus epithelial cells.