background  to report normal variations of the limbal structures using in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy. methods: this was a retrospective study of fourteen eyes from 11 healthy individuals. confocal imaging of cornea and limbus was performed using heidelberg retina tomograph iii rostock corneal module. results: the typical structure of the palisades of vogt (pov) was detected in 57% ...

PURPOSE Transplantation of ex vivo expanded limbal epithelial progenitor cells (LEPCs) on epithelially denuded amniotic membrane (dAM) in supplemented hormonal epithelial medium (SHEM) is an alternative solution for treating corneal blindness due to limbal stem cell (SC) deficiency. Because the phenotype of limbal niche cells (NCs) is preserved better in serum-free modified embryonic stem cell ...

BACKGROUND Corneal renewal and repair are mediated by stem cells of the limbus, the narrow zone between the cornea and the bulbar conjunctiva. Ocular burns may destroy the limbus, causing limbal stem-cell deficiency. We investigated the long-term clinical results of cell therapy in patients with burn-related corneal destruction associated with limbal stem-cell deficiency, a highly disabling ocu...

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of prolonged limbal explants cultured without any scaffolds or on amniotic membrane (AM) on the viability, proliferation and differentiation potential of putative phenotypically defined cultured limbal mesenchymal (LMSC) and epithelial stem cells (LESC). METHODS Limbal explants were cultivated on cryopreserved intact AM or plastic plates using medium supplemente...

The effects of sclerocorneal limbal stem cell autograft transplantation in dogs with corneal wounds were studied. Eighteen dogs were divided in two groups (GI and GII). The animals of GI (n=12) underwent limbal transplantation 30 days after the destruction of limbal stem cells. The dogs of GII (n=6) only underwent destruction of stem cells (control group). Light microscopy examination of the ri...

PURPOSE To report the efficacy of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a source of feeder cells for the cultivation of transplantable corneal epithelial cell sheets. METHODS Human mesenchymal stem cells (marrow adherent stem cells; MASCs) were cultured in alpha-modified Eagle's medium with 10% serum and were treated with mitomycin C. Expression of cytokines in MASCs was confirm...

OBJECTIVE To report the use of preserved amniotic membrane and living related corneal limbal/conjunctival transplantation in total limbal stem cell and conjunctival deficiency secondary to severe Stevens-Johnson syndrome. DESIGN Prospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. PATIENTS AND METHODS Ten eyes of 10 patients with total limbal stem cell and conjunctival deficiency second...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to identify phenotypic markers of human limbal stem cells in fetal and adult corneas. METHODS RNA from microscopically dissected superficial limbal and central fetal (18 weeks) corneas was amplified and used to generate P(32)-labeled, reverse-transcribed antisense RNA that was linearly amplified and hybridized to a focused stem cell cDNA microarray. Diffe...

A patient with chemical corneal burn presented two months after the acute episode of chemical injury to his right eye (OD) and was diagnosed with severe limbal stem cell deficiency and with vascularized corneal opacity OD. Limbal cell transplantation and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) was performed. The autologous and allograft limbal tissue included peripheral cornea, limbus and conjunctiva ob...

AIM To investigate human oral mucosal fibroblasts (HOMF) and human limbal fibroblasts (HLF) as alternatives to murine 3T3 feeder fibroblasts currently used to support epithelial cell expansion for the treatment of limbal epithelial stem cell deficiency. METHODS HLF and HOMF were compared with 3T3s for their ability to support the culture of human limbal epithelial cells and human oral mucosal...