Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Amniotic membrane (AM) is widely used in treating ocular surface diseases and receives a positive curative effect. Different procedures, including antibiotics-antimyotics, peracetic acid-ethanol-sterilization (PES), γ-ray are applied for AM sterilization, it remains poorly understood which method is superior with little damage to the AM.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of different sterilizations on AM properties.
METHODS: AM obtained from healthy placenta was sterilized by 4 different procedures, including antibiotics-antimyotics, PES, γ-ray and Iodophors. Then the cell morphology was observed by haematoxylin-eosin staining, and the protein and mRNA expressions of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteases-1 (TIMP-1) were detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results revealed that the amniotic epithelium was badly destoried by the γ irradiation sterilization. Procedures with PES and antibiotics-antimyotics presented with completed tissue structures. The expression of HGF and TIMP-1 were decreased by the sequence of PES group, antibiotics-antimyotics group, Iodophors group and γ-ray group (P < 0.05). While the mRNA levels of HGF and TIMP-1 deceased in the sterilized group compared with the unsterilized group, the γ-ray group expressed least (P < 0.05) and the other three group showed no significant differences (P > 0.05). The PES was suggested as an alternative method for sterilization because this method influenced the properties of the amniontic epithelium least.