Human cornea conservation in coconut water solution

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomaterials Science
• Corneal Preservation

Background:

• Human corneal preservation is critical for transplantation success.
• Standard preservation solutions require specific chemical compositions.
• Exploring novel, cost-effective preservation media is an ongoing area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the physical and chemical properties of coconut water.
• To assess the efficacy of a coconut water-based solution for human cornea conservation.
• To compare coconut water solution with a commercial standard (OPTISOL GS®).

Main Methods:

• Experimental, controlled study using discarded human corneas.
• Preparation of a coconut water-based solution and a control OPTISOL GS® solution.
• Sequential analysis of corneal osmolality, transparency, and epithelial integrity via microscopy over seven days.

Main Results:

• Coconut water solutions maintained partial corneal transparency and epithelial integrity for up to three days.
• Corneas in coconut water solutions showed peripheral edema, central folds, and partial epithelium loss by day seven.
• The 365 mOsm/L coconut water solution yielded the poorest outcomes.
• Corneas preserved in OPTISOL GS® maintained their original characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Coconut water-based solutions demonstrated limited efficacy in preserving human corneas for extended periods.
• The tested coconut water solutions were not suitable for use in human eye banks.
• Further investigation into optimizing coconut water formulations for corneal preservation is warranted.