Desquamation of corneal endothelial cells.

The process of wound healing of rabbit corneal endothelium involves the desquamation of significant numbers of endothelial cells, which may be found floating freely in the aqueous. It is suggested that this may be a general phenomenon of corneal endothelial wound healing, which accompanies the release of endothelial-cell attachments to Descemet's membrane and to neighboring cells during mitosis, allowing some of the cells to "fall of" into the anterior chamber. The possibility is discussed that such endothelial desquamation may contribute to had sensitization to he histocompatibility antigens of penetrating corneal grafts.