Regeneration of the corneal epithelium could be severely impaired in patients suffering from limbal stem cell deficiency(LSCD).The purpose of this study was to evaluate the restoration of the corneal epithelium by grafting onto denuded corneas human limbal cells cultured on human amniotic membrane.

LSCD models were established by chemical burn of the right eyes of 15 rabbits and their eyes were transplanted with human limbal cells cultured on denuded human amniotic membrane and monitored for 1 month. Human limbal epithelium cultured on amniotic membrane was transplanted to 5 rabbits The controls were rabbits that underwent corneal surface removal but not transplantation (No Transplantation group, n=5) and those that underwent corneal surface removal but received only amniotic membrane (AM Alone group, n=5). They were followed up with slit lamp observation and corneal fluorescein staining.

After 1 month rabbits were sacrificed and enucleated. Western blotting analysis of rabbit cornea shown that exprimental group significantly more expression of cytokeratin 3 marker of epithelial cells of cornea.

Transplantation of limbal stem cells cultured on amniotic membrane should prove an effective strategy for treating total limbal stem cell deficiency