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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Murine Corneal Transplantation: A Model to Study the Most Common Form of Solid Organ Transplantation
Published on: November 17, 2014
A mouse model of allogeneic corneal endothelial cell transplantation
Takahiko Hayashi1, Satoru Yamagami, Kazumi Tanaka
1Department of Ophthalmology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Purpose:
Corneal endothelial cell (CEC) transplantation should become clinically applicable in the near future. However, the immunologic changes after allo-CEC transplantation are poorly understood at present. We tried to establish a mouse model of allogeneic CEC transplantation for immunologic studies.
Methods:
Benzalkonium chloride was injected into the anterior chamber of the eyes of recipient BALB/c mice to create bullous keratopathy. Full-thickness corneal transplantation was performed by using 4 types of corneas: BALB/c corneas (isograft group), BALB/c corneas denuded of CEC (no endothelium group), C3H/He mouse corneas (allograft group), and corneas reconstituted by seeding immortalized C3H/He mouse CECs onto BALB/c corneas denuded of endothelium (CEC allograft group). Eyes were observed with an operating microscope for 4 weeks after transplantation and were subjected to histologic examination and fluorescein microscopy.
Results:
All corneal grafts were transparent in the isograft group (n = 12), whereas none of the grafts were clear by 4 weeks after transplantation in the no endothelium group (n = 13). Corneal grafts were transparent at 4 weeks in 75% of the CEC allograft group (n = 12). The histologic rejection rate was 0% in the CEC allograft group, which was significantly lower than in the allograft group (67%; n = 18; P < 0.01).
Conclusions:
We established a mouse allo-CEC transplantation model by using cultured cells. This model should be useful for studying the immunologic processes after CEC transplantation.
