Evaluation of Artificial Cornea Made by Ultra-High Hydrostatic Pressure Technology

Abstract

We investigated the characteristics of a decellularized porcine cornea by ultra-high hydrostatical pressurization (UHP) method. The UHP method consists of the disruption of cells by hydrostatical pressurization and the removal of components of the disrupted cells by washing process. Porcine cornea were hydrostatically pressed at 10,000 atmospheres and 10 °C for 10 min and immersed in medium for 72 hours. The turbid cornea was obtained. For H-E staining of the cornea decellularized with the UHP method, the complete removal of corneal cells and maintenance of the superstructure of collagen fibrils were confirmed. When the corneas were immersed in glycerol for 1 hour, their optical and mechanical properties were restored to those of a natural cornea. As the preliminary animal study, when the implantation of the acellular porcine cornea to rabbit cornea was carried out, the immune reaction was not occurred and the turbid cornea became clear. These results indicate that the decellularized cornea by UHP method would be useful as corneal scaffold for regeneration. These results indicate the possibility of the acellular cornea prepared by the UHP method as artificial bio-cornea.