Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 27, 2025
Platelet-Rich Plasma Lysate for Treatment of Eye Surface Diseases
Published on: August 2, 2022
Biological effects of stored platelet-rich plasma eye-drops in corneal wound healing
Yuichi Okumura1,2, Takenori Inomata3,2,4,5, Keiichi Fujimoto1,2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Background/Aims:
This study aimed to assess the efficacy and sterility of stored platelet-rich plasma (PRP) eye-drops for corneal epithelial wound healing compared with those of autologous serum (AS) eye-drops.
Methods:
At our single institution, PRP and AS eye-drops were prepared using peripheral blood obtained from six healthy volunteers and stored at 4°C. Platelet and leucocyte counts and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, epidermal growth factor (EGF), and fibronectin levels were assessed during storage for up to 4 weeks. Sterility was assessed by culturing 4-week poststorage samples. PRP, AS, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) eye-drop efficacies were compared using corneal epithelial wound healing assays in vitro and in vivo and monitoring wound areas under a microscope every 3 hours.
Results:
Higher platelet and lower leucocyte counts were seen in PRP than in whole blood on the day of preparation. After storage, TGF-β1, EGF, and fibronectin levels were significantly higher in PRP than in AS eye-drops. In vitro and in vivo, PRP eye-drops used on the day of preparation significantly promoted corneal epithelial wound healing compared with PBS. Moreover, PRP eye-drops stored for 4 weeks significantly promoted corneal wound healing compared with PBS and AS eye-drops.
Conclusion:
PRP eye-drops stored at 4°C for 4 weeks promoted corneal epithelial wound healing with higher levels of growth factors than those observed in AS eye-drops, while maintaining sterility, suggesting that this preparation satisfies the unmet medical needs in the treatment of refractory keratoconjunctival epithelial disorders.
