Preparation and evaluation of a suspension of human corneal endothelial cells isolated from the eyes of cadaveric donors for transplantation in an <em>ex vivo</em> experiment

Abstract

Background. According to the World Health Organization, corneal diseases are one of the major causes of blindness globally. Endothelial dystrophy is one of the etiological factors leading to corneal diseases. The corneal endothelium is a monolayer of cells with virtually no mitotic activity. When the density of corneal endothelial cells falls below a critical threshold, the endothelium loses its ability to regulate corneal stromal hydration. This leads to corneal clouding and, consequently, to reduced visual acuity and quality of life of the patient. In this regard, various keratoplasty methods are widely used in clinical practice. Today, it is technically possible to transplant all corneal layers via penetrating keratoplasty, and to transplant the posterior epithelium via layer-bylayer keratoplasty. These surgical approaches are now widely used in everyday practice, but they require the use of scarce material – cadaveric donor corneas, from which grafts for the above-mentioned operations are formed in the conditions of an eye bank. In this regard, protocols for obtaining human corneal endothelial cell (HCEC) culture for subsequent transplantation have been proposed in recent years. However, the use of such approaches in Russia is limited by the law. The aim of this study was to experimentally justify the possibility of transplanting uncultured endothelial cells, isolated from cadaveric human corneas. Materials and methods. The first stage of the work consisted of obtaining a suspension of endothelial cells from cadaveric donor corneas and studying it; at the second stage, the transplantation effectiveness of the resulting cell suspension was assessed in an ex vivo experiment. Results. The cell phenotype after transplantation by the proposed method had high viability and preservation. Conclusions. The presented results suggest that phenotype and adhesion ability are preserved, and that the cell suspension has a high level of viability under adequate loss of endothelial cells during transplantation in the ex vivo experiment.