The Characteristics of Porcine Cornea as a Xenograft

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility, in terms of both physical and immunological aspects, of using porcine cornea as a xenograft in humans. Methods: Corneal diameter, thickness and axial length were compared in 30 porcine and human control eyes. The histological characteristics and the distribution of the xenonatural antibody were also evaluated. In addition, changes in antigenecity were investigated by cultivating individual corneal cells. Results: The mean values of the porcine corneal diameter (14.2±0.3 mm) and the thickness (867.2±23.8 mm) were larger than those of human, but, on the contrary, the axial length (20.2±0.74 mm) and the refractive power (40.4±0.9D) were not. The lymphocytes existed in the normal porcine limbus, and the distribution of α-gal was confined. However, in the cell culture, the expression of α-gal was prominent in both stromal (39.0±28.4%) and endothelial cells (87.1±4.4%) at the second passage. The expression of class II major histocompatibility antigen was comparable to that of human. Conclusions: Physical, optical, histological, and immunological characteristics suggest the possibility of using porcine cornea as a xenograft in humans.