Cryoprotection of porcine cornea: a scanning electron microscopy study

Abstract

Porcine corneas were frozen with Me2SO, glycerol, 1,2-propanediol and PEG-400. The effects of the range of concentrations (5% and 10%) and temperature regimen (1ºC/min and 5ºC/min) were investigated. The integrity of corneal endothelial cells was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and trypan blue staining. The presence of 5-10% PEG-400 in the protective medium was the most effective in minimizing changes in the integrity of the corneal endothelium during freezing-thawing procedures.

Keywords

• porcine cornea
• me2so
• glycerol
• 1,2-propanediol
• peg-400