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

利用组织工程上皮移植进行眼表重建是治疗严重眼表疾病的一种新方法。口腔粘膜上皮具有高增殖能力，与眼表相似，提示可能使用替代上皮。在这项研究中，我们已经证明，培养的口腔粘膜上皮移植改善了临床结果。分析眼表上皮和口腔粘膜上皮的生物学特性和基因表达谱。培养的口腔粘膜上皮诱导不同的基因表达谱，然而，存活的移植口腔粘膜上皮的表型是相同的，在体内的口腔粘膜上皮表明，培养的口腔粘膜上皮不转分化为角膜上皮。这些基础研究结果有望为进一步了解眼表机制和开发新的治疗方法做出贡献。

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.