Abstract
The cornea is the most-transplanted tissue worldwide. However, the availability and quality of grafts are limited due to the current methods of corneal storage. In this study, a dynamic bioreactor system is employed to enable the control of intraocular pressure and the culture at the air-liquid interface. Thereby, in vivo-like storage conditions are achieved. Different media combinations for endothelium and epithelium are tested in standard and dynamic conditions to enhance the viability of the tissue. In contrast to culture conditions used in eye banks, the combination of the bioreactor and biochrom medium 1 allows to preserve the corneal endothelium and the epithelium. Assessment of transparency, swelling, and the trans-epithelial-electrical-resistance (TEER) strengthens the impact of the in vivo-like tissue culture. For example, compared to corneas stored under static conditions, significantly lower optical densities and significantly higher TEER values were measured (p-value <0.05). Furthermore, healing of epithelial defects is enabled in the bioreactor, characterized by re-epithelialization and initiated stromal regeneration. Based on the obtained results, an easy-to-use 3D-printed bioreactor composed of only two parts was derived to translate the technology from the laboratory to the eye banks. This optimized bioreactor facilitates noninvasive microscopic monitoring. The improved storage conditions ameliorate the quality of corneal grafts and the storage time in the eye banks to increase availability and reduce re-grafting.
Highlights
GS is the most-used system in the US; allowing to maintain corneas for up to 14 days.[4]
The cornea is fixed in a cage and the epithelium as well as the endothelium are exposed to the same medium, it is known that most cells require specific nutrients and growths factors
In eye banks that perform organ culture, corneal tissue is stored under submersed conditions in biochrom medium 1, which represented the reference in our study
Summary
GS is the most-used system in the US; allowing to maintain corneas for up to 14 days.[4] In hypothermic. The cornea represents the window of our eye, allowing light to storage, the epithelium is lost, and 7 days of storage are reach the sensory cells and us to see. In humans, it is 0.5 mm usually not exceeded.
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