RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on keratoplasty rejection in a rat mode. METHODS: MSC from bone marrow of Wistar rats was cultured. Corneas of Wistar rats (donors) were transplanted to Lewis rats (recipients). Transplanted rats were randomly divided into A, B, C three groups. Rats in group B were injected with MSC suspended in PBS via the tail vein continually for three days before the surgery, while rats in group C accepted similar MSC transplantation after the surgery. The rats in group A were given the same volume of PBS. Grafts were scored for corneal transparency, edema and extent of neovascularization by slit lamp observation. Expressions of CD(4), CD(8), CD(25) and CD(45) in corneas 10 days after transplantation were examined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The survival time of the corneal grafts in group C [(9.9 ± 0.69) d] was significantly prolonged compared with that of the group A and group B [(11.83 ± 0.54), (16.89 ± 1.91) d] (F = 5.732, P = 0.001, 0.019). Expression level of CD(4), CD(8), CD(25) of the corneal grafts in group C was lower than that of group A and group B (t = 2.477, 2.359, 2.445, P = 0.024, 0.042, 0.030). CONCLUSION: Post-operative injection of MSCs could inhibit keratoplasty rejection and prolong the corneal allografts survival in a rat model.