Abstract:

Abstract:Objective To investigate the potentiality of bacterial cellulose(BC) as the scaffold of tissue engineering corneal stroma . Methods Rabbit and human corneal stromal cells were separated and seeded into a BC membrane. The compound membrane with rabbit stroma cells was allogeneil grafted and examined by corneal confocal microscopy,anterior OCT and histological method and immunohistochemical staining 1,4 and 8 weeks after operation. Results The rabbit and human corneal stromal cells grew well in the BC membrane. One week after grafting,the inflammatory reaction and new vessels were not observed in the cornea. After four weeks,the new vessels could be found around the membrane without edema and ulcer on the surface. The rest cornea was still transparent. The stromal cells proliferated actively around the membrane observed by corneal confocal microscopy 8 weeks after transplantation. The quantity and appearance of proximalis corneal endothelium were normal. Anterior OCT displayed that BC compound membrane degraded gradually .The boundary between membrane and normal corneal tissue was vague 4 weeks after operation and similar to normal cornea in density 8 weeks after operation. BC compound membrane approached to normal corneal stromal tissue by ex vivo histology.The inflammatory cell infiltration and new vessels could be detected without necrosis or dissolution. Conclusion  BC has a good biocompatibility and degradation without cytotoxicity . It can be used as a biological scaffold for tissue engineering corneal stroma.

Key words: corneal stromal cells;bacterial cellulose;tissue engineering