The effectiveness of the use of various techniques of amniotic membrane (AM) transplantation in the corneal degenerative processes

Abstract

The amniotic membrane – the innermost of the three membranes, it develops from the fetal ectoderm, it is transparent, avascular and consists of an epithelial cell layer located on the basement membrane and connective tissue stroma. The application efficiency of the amniotic membrane transplantation technique in rabbits with experimental bacterial keratitis has been investigated. The animals were simulated with moderate bacterial keratitis (with preliminary exposure to long-wavelength mercury lamp beams) by the administration to each eye of the Staphylococcus aureus pathogenic strain. On the 14th day, the amniotic membrane was transplanted using two methods: by biological covering with episcleral fixation using simple interrupted sutures and layer-by-layer transplantation with fixation of the membrane within the damage of the cornea with simple interrupted sutures. The degree of the inflammatory process was assessed according to the author’s point scale, which included eight signs. On the 7th, 14th, and 30th days, the experimental animals were euthanized and microscopic examination of the cornea was performed. It was found that on the 7th day of application, complete epithelization of the corneal surface occurred, and on the 30th day, differentiation of its cells into layers. When using the layer-by-layer technique of amniotic membrane transplantation with using simple interrupted sutures, a more pronounced inflammatory reaction was observed in comparison with the biological covering technique. During all observation periods, most experimental animals did not show clinical and morphological signs of inflammatory infiltration. The obtained effect of both methods of amniotic membrane transplantation indicates the effectiveness of using this biological material as the main or supportive in the treatment of severe eye pathologies.

Keywords

• experimental keratitis
• chinchilla rabbits
• mesenchymal stem cells (msc)
• amniotic membrane transplantation (amt)
• cornea