PURPOSE: The effects of human recombinant bFGF has been evaluated on 9 paired human donor corneas (age 75 +/- 8 years), preserved in organ culture medium. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The endothelium of corneas were mechanically wounded (area of 7.53 +/- 2.05 mm2) and placed in culture medium during 14 days. For each pair, one cornea was tested with bFGF (50 ng/ml), delivered in two times (day 0, day 7), according to the stockage of the bFGF on the basal membranes (low affinity receptor), while the ipsilateral cornea served as control. Endothelium was assessed by trypan staining at day 0, day 7, and day 14. At this term of fourteenth day, alizarine red and trypan blue staining permitted morphometric data. RESULTS: The bFGF factor increases significantly cell density in the wound area (p < 0.05), and in the transitional area (p < 0.01), compared to the control group. In the transitional area, cells depletion was only 15% (392 +/- 55 cells/mm2) in the treated group compared to the 28% (716 +/- 0.1 cells/mm2) in the untreated group. In the wound area, the mean cell area was averaged 2581 microns2 in the control group and 2161 microns2 in the bFGF treated group (p < 0.05); in the transitional area the mean cell size was 549 microns2, and 479 microns2 in the control and the bFGF treated group (p < 0.05) respectively. The bFGF group do not affect the shape factor. CONCLUSION: This assay demonstrates that human bFGF greatly facilitates wound closure in endothelium of human cornea. The cellular migration from the transitional zone seems the dominant healing mechanism.
PURPOSE: The effects of human recombinant bFGF has been evaluated on 9 paired humandonor corneas (age 75 +/- 8 years), preserved in organ culture medium. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The endothelium of corneas were mechanically wounded (area of 7.53 +/- 2.05 mm2) and placed in culture medium during 14 days. For each pair, one cornea was tested with bFGF (50 ng/ml), delivered in two times (day 0, day 7), according to the stockage of the bFGF on the basal membranes (low affinity receptor), while the ipsilateral cornea served as control. Endothelium was assessed by trypan staining at day 0, day 7, and day 14. At this term of fourteenth day, alizarine red and trypan blue staining permitted morphometric data. RESULTS: The bFGF factor increases significantly cell density in the wound area (p < 0.05), and in the transitional area (p < 0.01), compared to the control group. In the transitional area, cells depletion was only 15% (392 +/- 55 cells/mm2) in the treated group compared to the 28% (716 +/- 0.1 cells/mm2) in the untreated group. In the wound area, the mean cell area was averaged 2581 microns2 in the control group and 2161 microns2 in the bFGF treated group (p < 0.05); in the transitional area the mean cell size was 549 microns2, and 479 microns2 in the control and the bFGF treated group (p < 0.05) respectively. The bFGF group do not affect the shape factor. CONCLUSION: This assay demonstrates that humanbFGF greatly facilitates wound closure in endothelium of human cornea. The cellular migration from the transitional zone seems the dominant healing mechanism.
Authors: Peter W Rieck; Ruth M von Stockhausen; Sylvia Metzner; Christian Hartmann; Yves Courtois Journal: Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol Date: 2003-09-06 Impact factor: 3.117