Changes in human donor corneas preserved for longer than 4 weeks

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Tissue Engineering
• Corneal Preservation

Background:

• Corneal storage in European banks typically lasts around 30 days.
• Extending culture periods for corneas faces limited data on success.
• Established systems for corneal storage need evaluation for their capacities and limits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the capacities and limitations of the established corneal organ culture system.
• To assess the viability of human corneas stored for extended periods.

Main Methods:

• Human corneas (n=37) were stored for up to 12 weeks under standard eye bank conditions (31°C, MEM, closed system).
• Adenylate nucleotides, glucose, and lactate concentrations were measured using bioluminescence.
• Endothelial-cell densities were determined and compared to fresh controls (n=21).

Main Results:

• Endothelial-cell density decreased significantly after 4 and 6 weeks of storage.
• Storage exceeding 6 weeks resulted in complete endothelial necrosis.
• Biochemical markers indicated acceptable conditions for up to 6 weeks of storage.

Conclusions:

• Long-term organ culture of human corneas in a closed system is limited to approximately 6 weeks.
• This finding aligns with previous clinical observations regarding corneal viability.
• The study confirms the limitations of current systems for extended corneal preservation.