PURPOSE To investigate the expression and role of the Wnt signaling pathway in human limbal stem cells (LSCs). METHODS Total RNA was isolated from the human limbus and central cornea. Limbal or cornea-specific transcripts were identified through quantitative real-time PCR. Protein expression of Wnt molecules was confirmed by immunohistochemistry on human ocular tissue. Activation of Wnt signa...

AIMS To evaluate the efficacy of Fourier domain-optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) in imaging and quantifying the limbal palisades of Vogt and to correlate these images with histological findings. METHODS The superior and inferior limbal region of both eyes of 50 healthy volunteers were imaged by FD-OCT. Images were processed and analysed using Matlab software. In vitro immunofluorescent s...

PURPOSE To correlate a biomicroscopic evaluation, an in vivo confocal microscopy examination, and impression cytologic findings of the corneal center and sclerocorneal limbus after cultured limbal stem cell transplantation and to test the effectiveness of in vivo confocal microscopy as a diagnostic procedure in ocular surface cell therapy reconstructive surgery. METHODS Six eyes of six patien...

PURPOSE A previous report has described an ocular surface reconstruction method involving the use of cultivated corneal epithelium derived from limbal explants. In the current study, a new culture system was developed involving the in vitro propagation on amniotic membrane (AM) of epithelial cells from enzymatically dissociated limbal epithelium. The purpose of this new method is to produce a c...

When the stem cells population is destroyed or their supporting stromal environment is dysfunctional, limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) manifests. Clinically, LSCD carries the hallmark of conjunctivalisation— that is, the corneal surface is covered by ingrowing conjunctival epithelium containing goblet cells. Conjunctivalisation is invariably associated with the destruction of the basement mem...

PURPOSE The perivascular localization of stem cell (SC) niches suggests the presence of a vascular niche. We aimed to determine the angiogenesis potential of limbal niche cells (NCs). METHODS Human limbal NCs were isolated and serially passaged on plastic or coated Matrigel in embryonic SC medium containing BFGF and leukemia inhibitory factor before being reseeded in 3D Matrigel. Expression o...

Corneal epithelial stem cells are thought to reside in the limbus, the transition zoon between cornea and conjunctiva. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are two paracrine factors that regulate the proliferation, migration and differentiation of the limbal epithelial cells; however, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. In an ex vivo limbal expl...

PURPOSE Limbal epithelial stem cell deficiency is caused by exposure of the cornea to thermal, chemical, or radiation burns or by diseases (aniridia and Stevens-Johnson syndrome). Autologous cell transplantation is a widely used therapeutic modality for restoring the corneal surface in such pathological conditions. Ex vivo cultured limbal, conjunctival, and oral biopsies have been widely used t...

AIM To describe a surgical technique for autologous limbal stem cell transplantation and the outcome of a series of patients with unilateral stem cell deficiency. METHODS A report of six consecutive patients who underwent autologous limbal stem cell transplantation is presented. The primary diagnosis included alkali burn (n=3), conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) (n=1), recurrent pte...