UV absorption in human oral mucosal epithelial sheets for ocular surface reconstruction

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Regenerative Medicine
• Photobiology

Background:

• Autologous oral mucosal epithelium is explored for ocular surface reconstruction to prevent allograft rejection.
• This approach offers a promising alternative to traditional grafting methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the ultraviolet (UV) A and UVB absorption capabilities of human oral mucosal epithelium cultured on human amniotic membrane.
• To compare its UV absorption properties with those of corneal epithelium.

Main Methods:

• Human oral mucosal and limbal epithelial cells were co-cultured on amniotic membrane with fibroblasts.
• Cell sheets were exposed to UV-A (365 nm) and UV-B (302 nm) irradiation.
• UV absorption rates were quantified using a UV irradiation meter.

Main Results:

• Cultured oral mucosal epithelium developed a 3-5 cell layer structure comparable to corneal limbal epithelium after 4 weeks.
• Oral mucosal epithelium exhibited 25-36% less UV-A absorption than corneal epithelium.
• UV-B absorption by oral mucosal epithelium was approximately 145% higher than corneal epithelium at 200-800 microW/cm2.

Conclusions:

• Cultured oral mucosal epithelium demonstrates reduced UV-A and enhanced UV-B absorption compared to corneal epithelium.
• These findings suggest that oral mucosal epithelium could potentially substitute for corneal epithelium's UV absorption function.