Antigenicity of cryopreserved corneas

W. M. Bourne

The antigenicity of fresh and cryopreserved corneal tissue was analyzed by performing 5-mm interlamellar xenografts in albino rabbits using dog corneas as the donor tissue. The cryopreservative solutions contained 10% rabbit albumin, dimethyl sulfoxide, and sucrose. Fifty-nine rabbits received interlamellar xenografts using donor tissue prepared by one of the three following methods: (1) fresh, (2) cryopreserved, and (3) immersed in the cryopreservative solutions, but not frozen. Approximately one third of the grafts became cloudy within six weeks, and no statistically significant difference was noted clinically or histologically between the three preparations of donor tissue used. The results indicate that cryopreservation has no significant effect on the antigenicity of corneal tissue as exemplified by the interlamellar xenograft reaction in rabbits.