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Pathophysiology of Corneal Graft Rejection

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Foundations of Corneal Disease

Abstract

The cornea is the most frequently transplanted tissue in the human body. The primary cause of corneal graft failure is immune rejection, a highly complex sequence of innate and adaptive immune responses that interact to promote tissue destruction. As our understanding of the effector pathways that drive allograft rejection has deepened, so too has our comprehension of the diverse immunoregulatory mechanisms that restrain the effector response and promote graft tolerance. This chapter reviews the incidence, the risk factors and the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie corneal allograft rejection. The amalgam of anatomical features, immune cells, and immunoregulatory factors that promote tolerance and immune quiescence are described. Finally, possibilities for future therapeutic approaches to promote graft survival are considered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Duke Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Durham, NC, USA

    Victor L. Perez

  2. Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    William Foulsham

  3. Duke University, Department of Ophthalmology, Durham, NC, USA

    Kristen Peterson

  4. Harvard Medical School, Cornea & Refractive Surgery, Massachusetts Eye & Ear, Boston, MA, USA

    Reza Dana

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  1. Victor L. Perez
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  2. William Foulsham
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  3. Kristen Peterson
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  4. Reza Dana
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Correspondence to Reza Dana .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Louis Block Professor Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kathryn Colby

  2. Claes H. Dohlman Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Cornea & Refractive Surgery, Massachusetts Eye & Ear, Boston, MA, USA

    Reza Dana

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Perez, V.L., Foulsham, W., Peterson, K., Dana, R. (2020). Pathophysiology of Corneal Graft Rejection. In: Colby, K., Dana, R. (eds) Foundations of Corneal Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25335-6_9

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