[The reparative potentials of human corneal endothelium from the aspect of age]

Morphometric and cytospectrophotometric studies of the endothelium of human cornea in age aspect, from 20 to 80 years, has revealed the presence of nuclei with double content of DNA (4 c) irrespective of age, as well as binuclear cells. Their number increases with age. At the age of 20-40 years, 4 tetraploid nuclei and 3 binuclear cells were found, and after 80 years of age - 45 tetraploid nuclei and 11 binuclear cells per a cornea. This speaks about the ability of the endothelium cell of the human cornea to incomplete polyploidizing cellular mitosis-variant of a normal proliferation of the cells and is characteristic for long-living and slightly proliferating tissues. The increase of the number of polyploid cells in the corneal endothelium with age speaks about activation of adaptation mechanisms in the course of age involution.