Umbilical Cord PRP Accelerates Corneal Wound Healing via AQP1 Upregulation and Calcium Signaling

Umbilical cord-derived Platelet-Rich Plasma (ucPRP) promotes corneal regeneration, yet the underlying cellular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study evaluated the effects of ucPRP on corneal epithelial cell physiology and wound healing dynamics. In scratch assays, ucPRP treatment significantly accelerated wound closure by enhancing cell migration and proliferation. Confocal microscopy using Fluo-3 demonstrated that ucPRP induces transient increases in intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺), suggesting the activation of upstream signaling events. Furthermore, treated cells exhibited increased membrane permeability to water and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), which correlated with upregulation of Aquaporin-1 (AQP1). Since AQP1 facilitates cell motility, its upregulation links fluid transport mechanisms to the observed regenerative phenotype. These findings suggest that ucPRP drives corneal re-epithelialization by modulating Ca²⁺ signaling and increasing AQP1 expression, supporting its therapeutic utility in ocular surface repair.