Autotransplante da fração mononuclear da medula ossea em úlcera corneana por hidróxido de sódio experimental em cães

Abstract

The bone marrow (BM)adult stem cell, mainly the mononuclear cell (MC) fraction, calls great interest in tissue regeneration researches in veterinary medicine, among those, works with experimental corneal ulcers. It is believed that the limbus represents the main stem cell source to replace damaged corneal cells, however, the number of animals showing limbal deficiency with subsequent conjunctivalization increases every day. This condition can be developed for several reasons, where the alkali burn is the most common. Aiming to conduct a study about transplanted BM MC presence confirmation, the homing process and to histopathologically compare the treated and sham groups, an experimental alkali corneal ulcer model, associated with the autologous MC transplant was used. Sixteen male or female, stray dogs, weithing around 10kg were submitted to experimental corneal ulcer, where the sodium hydroxide soaked filter discs alkali burn model was used. After the lesions, the animal were then submitted to subonjunctival autologous BM MC transplantation. The mononuclear fraction was isolated by density gradient centrifugation at 678G for 30 minutes and marked with nanocrystals to engrafment and homing follow-up. The pos-operatory evaluation was made with imunofluorescence exams in the sixth day after the transplant and for histopathology after 15 days of the same procedure where it could be noticed that the MC fixed in the damaged area, there was no homing phenomenom and despite they reduce the local inflamation, the MC did not help the corneal epithelium cicatrization process in this short term evaluation. Thus BM MC transplant studies in corneal wounds are indicated.