Macrophage plasticity and differentiation on the decellularized human cornea

Several donated human corneas become unsuitable for transplantation due to lack of cellularity, diseases, and inadequate death to enucleation/preservation time. Here, we utilized discarded human corneas unsuitable for transplantation. Corneas were decellularized using a perfusion bioreactor with Triton-X 100 and cross-linked with chondroitin sulfate to reduce immune response, which FTIR and AFM confirmed. An in vitro study established the morphology of THP-1 cells cultured under three conditions, i.e., native, decellularized, and cross-linked for 10 days, by SEM analysis. The oxidative mechanism in THP-1 cells was determined by nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in the media during the culture period. Cell surface markers and receptors were examined using RT-PCR. A panel of 40 identified cytokines/chemokines and release factors responsible for the immune response and implant rejection were estimated using cytokine microarray. Our findings elucidated the fundamentals of corneal rejection and helped identify a suitable decellularized matrix with predictive immunological properties.Graphical abstract