Advances in the isolation and culture of limbal niche cells
10.3760/cma.j.cn115989-20200904-00629
- VernacularTitle:角膜缘微环境细胞的分离培养研究进展
- Author:
Yuting XIAO
1
;
Huatao XIE
;
Mingchang ZHANG
Author Information
1. 华中科技大学同济医学院附属协和医院眼科，武汉 430022
- Keywords:
Cornea;
Limbal niche cells;
Limbal epithelial stem cells;
Limbal stem cell deficiency;
Tissue engineering;
Ocular surface reconstruction
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Ophthalmology
2024;42(4):387-392
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Limbal niche cells (LNCs) in the limbal niche, a type of mesenchymal stem cells closely associated with limbal epithelial stem/progenitor cells (LESCs), heterogeneously express both mesenchymal and putative embryonic stem cell markers and play a critical role in regulating the quiescence, self-renewal, and differentiation of LESCs.Previous studies have shown that LNCs can be isolated by collagenase, dispase, dispase-collagenase and explant culture.Transwell and 3D Matrigel coculture are widely used in ex vivo studies of LNCs and LESCs, and the interactive mechanism may include SDF-1/CXCR4, Notch, BMP, Wnt, Sonic Hedgehog, and KIT/AKT signaling pathways, and various cytokines such as nerve growth factor, keratinocyte growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor.LNCs have become a hot topic in corneal epithelial tissue engineering, ocular surface reconstruction, and corneal regeneration.This review provides an overview of the research background, isolation and culture methods, interaction mechanism of LNCs with LESCs, and its application prospects.
