Chondroitin sulfate for corneal preservation at 4 degrees C. Evaluation by electron microscopy
R. M. Stein, W. M. Bourne and R. J. Campbell
We tested three new corneal preservation media in which the dextran in
McCarey-Kaufman (M-K) medium was replaced by three preparations of
chondroitin sulfate (CS): 1.5% CS, 5.0% CS, and 2.0% modified CS (K-Sol).
One cornea from each of 36 pairs of corneas was placed in M-K medium and
the opposite cornea was placed in one of the CS media. Endothelial
preservation was evaluated by electron microscopy after storage at 4
degrees C for 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 days. We judged cellular preservation
in a masked manner from the electron micrographs according to a morphologic
grading system. Preservation in 1.5% CS solution was similar to that in M-K
medium. Both 5.0% CS and K-Sol gave better endothelial preservation than
M-K medium. The best preservation appeared to be in K-Sol, in which only 3%
of the endothelial cells were disrupted after 14 days of storage at 4
degrees C.
