Visual rehabilitation and biological analysis of cultivated oral mucosal epithelium and reconstructed ocular surface

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Ocular surface reconstruction using tissue-engineered epithelial transplantation is a new therapeutic modality to overcome severe ocular surface disorders. Oral mucosal epithelium has a high proliferative capacity and similarity with ocular surface suggesting the possible use of alternative epithelium. In this study we have demonstrated that cultivated oral mucosal epithelial transplantation improved the clinical outcome. Biological characters and gene expression patterns of ocular surface epithelium and oral mucosal epithelium were analyzed. Cultivation of oral mucosal epithelium induced the different gene expression profiles, however, the phenotype of surviving transplanted oral mucosal epithelium was the same as in vivo oral mucosal epithelium suggesting that cultivated oral mucosal epithelium does not transdifferentiate into corneal epithelium. These basic findings were expected to contribute for further understanding for ocular surface mechanisms and developing a new therapy.