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- Title
Substrates for Expansion of Corneal Endothelial Cells towards Bioengineering of Human Corneal Endothelium.
- Authors
Navaratnam, Jesintha; Utheim, Tor P.; Rajasekhar, Vinagolu K.; Shahdadfar, Aboulghassem
- Abstract
Corneal endothelium is a single layer of specialized cells that lines the posterior surface of cornea and maintains corneal hydration and corneal transparency essential for vision. Currently, transplantation is the only therapeutic option for diseases affecting the corneal endothelium. Transplantation of corneal endothelium, called endothelial keratoplasty, is widely used for corneal endothelial diseases. However, corneal transplantation is limited by global donor shortage. Therefore, there is a need to overcome the deficiency of sufficient donor corneal tissue. New approaches are being explored to engineer corneal tissues such that sufficient amount of corneal endothelium becomes available to offset the present shortage of functional cornea. Although human corneal endothelial cells have limited proliferative capacity in vivo, several laboratories have been successful in in vitro expansion of human corneal endothelial cells. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of different substrates employed for in vitro cultivation of human corneal endothelial cells. Advances and emerging OPEN ACCESS challenges with ex vivo cultured corneal endothelial layer for the ultimate goal of therapeutic replacement of dysfunctional corneal endothelium in humans with functional corneal endothelium are also presented.
- Subjects
ENDOTHELIAL cells; CORNEA surgery; ENDOTHELIUM diseases
- Publication
Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 2015, Vol 6, Issue 3, p917
- ISSN
2079-4983
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/jfb6030917