Comparison between the Effect of Hyaluronic Acid and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy on Cornea of Adult Albino Rats after Exposure to Alkali Burn (Light and Electron Microscopic Study)

Abstract

Background: Corneal epithelial injuries are common in both physician and veterinary ophthalmology that often causes extensive damage and results in permanent visual impairment. Aim of work: to evaluate the beneficial effect of hyaluronic acid and MSCs in treatment of experimental alkali corneal burn. Subjects and methods: thirty adult albino rats of both sexes. Ten rats were used to harvest BM-MSCs while the others were divided into four groups. Group I was the control group. Group II with unilateral alkali-burnt cornea these rats were sacrificed after 1 day and the other sacrificed after 2 weeks. Group III were rats with unilateral hyaluronic acid-treated alkali-burnt corneas for 2 weeks. Group IV were rats with MSCs treated alkali-burnt corneas. Immune histochemical staining for CD44 and vimentin was performed. The corneas were examined using light microscopic, transmission electron microscopic and morphometric studies. Results: Corneal alkali burn resulted in desquamation of corneal epithelium in group II. The epithelial cell layers had vacuolated cytoplasm with pyknotic nuclei. The stroma contained irregularly arranged collagen fibers with wide spacing and congested blood vessels with cellular infiltration. Groups III and IV showed improvement of the histological and electron microscopic changes described in group II. Conclusions: The use of MSCs in the acute stage of corneal chemical trauma was associated with faster recovery of the wounded cornea when compared with the effect of hyaluronic acid sodium salt.