Corneal Protection for Burn Patients
Abstract
Purpose: The overall goal of this research is to preserve vision of patients recovering from severe facial burns by providing an improved method to reduce development of corneal defects, inflammation, infection and opacification. Scope: In this reporting period, amniotic membrane patches were modified by protein crosslinking to reduce their susceptibility to proteolytic digestion as a model for the observed degradation in inflamed eyes. An in vitro test system was used. Major findings: Five protein crosslinking methods differing in their molecular mechanisms were evaluated. A sensitive fluorescence assay was developed to measure enzymatic degradation of amnion on large numbers of samples. All five methods protected the amnion patches. Crosslinking decreased the rate of enzymatic degradation of amnion and decreased the total degradation after extended incubation with collagenase. The levels of protection varied from 35 to 100%. These results provide the basis for selecting the crosslinked amnion patches to be tested in an in vivo model of eye inflammation and for testing the effect of protein crosslinking on the pro-healing factors present in the membrane in Year 2.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA540932
Entities
People
- Irene E. Kochevar
Organizations
- Massachusetts General Hospital