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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

A Human Corneal Organ Culture Model of Descemet's Stripping Only with Accelerated Healing Stimulated by Engineered Fibroblast Growth Factor 1
Published on: July 22, 2022
Corneal stroma PDGF blockade and myofibroblast development
Harmeet Kaur1, Shyam S Chaurasia, Fabricio W de Medeiros
1Cole Eye Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Abstract:
Myofibroblast development and haze generation in the corneal stroma is mediated by cytokines, including transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and possibly other cytokines. This study examined the effects of stromal PDGF-beta blockade on the development of myofibroblasts in response to -9.0 diopter photorefractive keratectomy in the rabbit. Rabbits that had haze generating photorefractive keratectomy (PRK, for 9 diopters of myopia) in one eye were divided into three different groups: stromal application of plasmid pCMV.PDGFRB.23KDEL expressing a subunit of PDGF receptor b (domains 2-3, which bind PDGF-B), stromal application of empty plasmid pCMV, or stromal application of balanced salt solution (BSS). The plasmids (at a concentration 1000ng/microl) or BSS was applied to the exposed stroma immediately after surgery and every 24h for 4-5 days until the epithelium healed. The group treated with pCMV.PDGFRB.23KDEL showed lower alphaSMA+ myofibroblast density in the anterior stroma compared to either control group (P
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