Abstract
The purpose of this work is to describe the use of Fibrin-Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) membranes for the treatment of a rabbit alkali-burn lesion. For this purpose, an alkali-burn lesion was induced in 15 rabbits. A week later, clinical events were evaluated and rabbits were divided into five treatment groups: rabbits treated with medical treatment, with a fibrin-PRGF membrane cultured with autologous or heterologous rabbit Limbal Epithelial Progenitor Cells (LEPCs), with a fibrin-PRGF membrane in a Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplantation and with a fibrin-PRGF membrane without cultured LEPCs. After 40 days of follow-up, corneas were subjected to histochemical examination and immunostaining against corneal or conjunctival markers. Seven days after alkali-burn lesion, it was observed that rabbits showed opaque cornea, new blood vessels across the limbus penetrating the cornea and epithelial defects. At the end of the follow-up period, an improvement of the clinical parameters analyzed was observed in transplanted rabbits. However, only rabbits transplanted with cultured LEPCs were positive for corneal markers. Otherwise, rabbits in the other three groups showed positive staining against conjunctival markers. In conclusion, fibrin-PRGF membrane improved the chemically induced lesions. Nonetheless, only fibrin-PRGF membranes cultured with rabbit LEPCs were able to restore the corneal surface.
Highlights
Ocular chemical burns are one of the most devastating situations for the ophthalmologist, which require an immediate and intensive evaluation and treatment [1,2]
The deleterious effect of caustication depends on the nature and type of substance involved, as well as the length of time the substance was in contact with the eye [10], being the extent of ocular surface damage one of the most important prognostic factors for the visual outcome [1,2,9,11,12,13]
We studied the transplant of in vitro expanded autologous and heterologous Limbal Epithelial Progenitor Cells (LEPCs) on fibrin-Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) membranes, the Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplantation (SLET) technique with a fibrin-PRGF membrane and the role of the fibrin-PRGF membrane without cultured cells as adjuvant therapy
Summary
Ocular chemical burns are one of the most devastating situations for the ophthalmologist, which require an immediate and intensive evaluation and treatment [1,2]. Chemical burns to the eye or ocular adnexa are responsible for 11.5–22.1% of ocular injuries [3]. Acidic or alkaline agents usually cause ocular chemical burns. Alkaline substances are more damaging to the eye than acidic substances because they have the inherent ability to penetrate the ocular structures due to their hydrophilic and lipophilic properties [5,9]. The deleterious effect of caustication depends on the nature and type of substance involved, as well as the length of time the substance was in contact with the eye [10], being the extent of ocular surface damage one of the most important prognostic factors for the visual outcome [1,2,9,11,12,13]
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