SEX-CHROMATIN OF DONOR CORNEAL EPITHELIUM IN RABBITS

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 21  (3) , 434-441
Abstract
The survival of donor corneal epithelium was investigated in rabbits after they received unilateral 8 mm diameter lamellar keratoplasties with living donor tissue of a different sex from the host. Three wk, 6 wk, and 12 wk postoperatively, cultured corneal epithelia, grown from 5 mm diameter central buttons, the adjacent 0.75 mm wide donor rings, the peripheral 10 to 13 mm diameter rings, and 5 mm diameter central host buttons were used for sex-chromatin analysis. Apparently some of the donor corneal epithelium survived up to 12 wk postoperatively. Even in the absence of overt epithelial rejection a time-dependent decrease of donor corneal epithelium and simultaneous invasion of host corneal epithelium were demonstrated.