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A new storage solution for the hypothermic preservation of corneal grafts: an experimental study

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Abstract

In this experimental study we used for the first time Tiprotec® as a solution for corneal preservation and cold storage. We compared the resultant endothelial cell morphology and viability with this obtained after preservation of the ex-vivo corneas with both usual standard techniques: conventional cold storage (using Eusol-C) and organ culture. This prospective, in vitro, 3-armed parallel study was performed with the use of 90 porcine corneas (examined for their endothelial quality and transparency) randomly selected for preservation in three storage methods (each 30 corneas): organ culture, standard cold storage (Eusol-C) and experimental cold storage (Tiprotec®) Endothelium cell quantity and quality as well as corneal opacification were assessed. The degree of endothelial transparency was significantly reduced over time with all preservation media, without any significant difference among the three groups at any point of time. A reduction in endothelial cell density was also observed with all three preservation media after 30 days of storage without statistically significant differences between groups. The number of hexagonal and pentagonal endothelium cells was significantly reduced overtime in all media with significantly more hexagonal and pentagonal in the organ culture group compared to the cold storage groups. We could show that the cryopreservation medium Tiprotec®, used until now for the preservation of vascular grafts, was of similar quality compared to the medium Eusol-C for the hypothermic storage of corneal tissue for an extended period of time up to 30 days. In comparison to organic culture with culture medium KII, both Tiprotec® and Eusol-C were found less effective in preserving endothelial cell quality, as assessed by the morphometric analysis, and viability, as assessed by the degree of vacuolization at least up to the 30th day of storage. However, both, Tiprotec®- and Eusol-C-preserved corneas demonstrated a certain capacity to recover after their submission in organ culture.

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Funding

This study was partially funded by a grant from the company “Dr. Franz Köhler Chemie GmbH”, Bensheim, Germany.

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Author notes

  1. Ismini Koulouri and Olaf Hellwinkel author contributed equally to this paper

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Ismini Koulouri, Olaf Hellwinkel & Sibylle Altenähr

  2. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Ismini Koulouri

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Martin Spitzer, Jana Feuerstacke & Filip Filev

  4. Dr. Franz Köhler Chemie GmbH, Bensheim, Germany

    Stefan Fritz

  5. Werner Forssmann Clinic, Rudolf-Breitscheid-Straße 100, 16225, Eberswalde, Germany

    Filip Filev

Authors
  1. Ismini Koulouri
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  2. Olaf Hellwinkel
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  3. Sibylle Altenähr
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  4. Martin Spitzer
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  5. Stefan Fritz
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  6. Jana Feuerstacke
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  7. Filip Filev
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Correspondence to Filip Filev.

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Koulouri, I., Hellwinkel, O., Altenähr, S. et al. A new storage solution for the hypothermic preservation of corneal grafts: an experimental study. Cell Tissue Bank 21, 507–521 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10561-020-09838-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10561-020-09838-z

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