The Effect Of The Diabetic State In Donors On Resident Corneal Immune Cells And Graft Survival

Purpose: The diabetic state promotes infiltration and maturation of antigen presenting cells (APC) in the cornea. The effect of these corneal APCs on outcomes of corneal transplantation is yet to be elucidated. In this study, we investigate the effect of altered immune milieu in corneas from diabetic donors transplanted to normal recipients, using a validated murine model of corneal allotransplantation.Methods: Type I diabetes mellitus was induced in C57BL/6 mice by injecting 50mg/kg streptozocin (STZ) for 5 days. The altered glycemic state was confirmed by a self-monitoring glucometer. On day 25, mice with blood glucose levels of 300mg/dL were considered diabetic. The corneas from diabetic mice were harvested and grafted onto normal BALB/c recipient mice, or used for flow cytometry analysis. Recipient mice were followed up for 8 weeks using slit-lamp biomicroscopy. Two weeks after the transplantation, both …