Reconstruction of damaged cornea by autologous transplantation of epidermal adult stem cells

PURPOSE It is crucial for the treatment of severe ocular surface diseases such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) to find strategies that avoid the risks of allograft rejection and immunosuppression. Here, we report a new strategy for reconstructing the damaged corneal surface in a goat model of total limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) by autologous transplantation of epidermal adult stem cells (EpiASC). METHODS EpiASC derived from adult goat ear skin by explant culture were purified by selecting single cell-derived clones. These EpiASC were cultivated on denuded human amniotic membrane (HAM) and transplanted onto goat eyes with total LSCD. The characteristics of both EpiASC and reconstructed corneal epithelium were identified by histology and immunohistochemistry. The clinical characteristic of reconstructed corneal surface was observed by digital camera. RESULTS Ten LSCD goats (10 eyes) were treated with EpiASC transplantation, leading to the restoration of corneal transparency and improvement of postoperative visual acuity to varying degrees in 80.00% (8/10) of the experimental eyes. The corneal epithelium of control groups either with HAM transplantation only or without any transplantation showed irregular surfaces, diffuse vascularization, and pannus on the entire cornea. The reconstructed corneal epithelium (RCE) expressed CK3, CK12, and PAX-6 and had the function of secreting glycocalyx-like material (AB-PAS positive). During the follow-up period, all corneal surfaces remained transparent and there were no serious complications. We also observed that the REC expressed CK1/10 weakly at six months after operation but not at 12 months after operation, suggesting that the REC was derived from grafted EpiASC. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that EpiASC repaired the damaged cornea of goats with total LSCD and demonstrated that EpiASC can be induced to differentiate into corneal epithelial cell types in vivo, which at least in part correlated with down-regulation of CK1/10 and upregulation of PAX-6.