Decellularization of ostrich's corneal lenticule and its safety evaluation in the rabbit's cornea.
Khosrow Jadidi1 *, Hossein Aghamollaei1 , Majid kadkhodaei2 , Shokoofe Rafati3
- Chemical Injures Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
- Iran University of medical sciences
Abstract: The anatomical features and diopter of ostrich’s eye are similar to human eyes, suggesting that ostrich acellular corneal scaffolds may have greater advantages and potentials in human corneal tissue engineering. The aim of this study was to evaluation of the safety of an acellular ostrich's corneal stroma as a new scaffold for constructing a tissue-engineered cornea.
Methods: Ostrich corneal lenticules were collected and decellularized. Ultrastructure integrity, transparency, and cytotoxicity was evaluated by standard examinations. Six rabbits underwent unilateral stromal pocketing with implantation of decellularized lenticules. Rabbits were followed for 3 months by clinical examination and imaging. The graft bio-integration was assessed by histological evaluation.
Results: DNA content showed that decellularization occurred at a rate of about 98%. MTT assay showed that decellularized Ostrich cornea does not induce cell death. Ultrastructure of the lenticules was relatively intact. After 3 months of implantation, corneas were totally transparent without any neovascularization. In AS- OCT imaging, grafts were seen at desirable depth with relatively intact host corneal structure. Histopathological sections showed that grafts were integrated in the host cornea with the least distortion of surrounding collagen.
Conclusion: Implantation of decellularized ostrich's cornea as a xenograft, is a safe method for corneal regeneration. This new model of lamellar keratoplasty can be used for corneal tissue engineering and drug delivery studies.
