stem cells located at the limbus ,  are the ultimate source for regeneration of the corneal epithelium in the normal and traumatized states.  when limbal stem cells are dysfunctional or deficient, limbal stem cell deficiency (lscd) develops. its surgical management depends on laterality and severity of corneal-limbal involvement. conventional methods of stem cell transplantation are conjunctiva...

background: the aim of this study is to create an ex vivo model to examine the expression of two heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) family members, heat shock protein 72 (hsp72) and heat shock constitute protein 70 (hsc70), at the mrna and protein levels in differentiating corneal cells from air exposed limbal stem cells. materials and methods: limbal biopsies were cultured as explants on a cellular...

stem cells are the cells having some distinguishing characteristics like longevity, high capacity of self-renewal and differentiation, quiescence and highly error-free proliferation. almost all stem cells have the potential of lineage reprogramming, i.e. inter-conversion of cell lineages. they also have the potential to differentiate into almost all kinds of cells. these cells have been found i...

purpose: to evaluate the properties of cultured limbal stem cells for corneal surface reconstruction. methods: specimens of limbal explants were prepared from the eye bank of i.r. iran. the explants were cultured and expanded on acellular amniotic membrane for 21 days. the cultured cells were evaluated for expression of connexin 43 and keratinine k3 by immunocytochemistry and expression of k12 ...

stem cell therapy has been applied for the treatment of degenerative diseases encompassing corneal disorders.this consideration is regarding the unique characteristics of stem cells including self-renewal and pluripotency. some corneal diseases result from deficiencies in the limbal region. in these conditions, limbal stem cell therapy is considered in which limbal stem cells are cultured in vi...

purpose: to report the outcomes of conjunctival-limbal autograft (clau) in patients with unilateral total limbal stem cell deficiency (lscd) emphasizing surgical problems, complications, and their management. methods: in this prospective interventional case series, clau combined with amniotic membrane transplantation as a graft was performed on 26 patients with unilateral total lscd due to chem...

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 ...

The cornea is the outermost tissue of the eye and it must be transparent for the maintenance of good visual function. The superficial epithelium of the cornea, which is renewed continuously by corneal stem cells, plays a critical role in the permanence of this transparency. These stem cells are localized at the cornea-conjunctival transition zone, referred to as the limbus. When this zone is af...

Corneal epithelium is traditionally thought to be a self-sufficient, self-renewing tissue implying that its stem cells are located in its basal cell layer. Recent studies indicate however that corneal epithelial stem cells reside in the basal layer of peripheral cornea in the limbal zone, and that corneal and conjunctival epithelia represent distinct cell lineages. These ideas are supported by ...