Yonago Acta medica 2001;44:17-24–8
Ultrastructural Changes in the Rat Corneal Endothelium Preserved at Low Temperature
Kaori Yamasaki* and Takao Inoué*
*Second Department of Anatomy and Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago 683-0826, Japan<
The ultrastructural differences in rat corneal endothelia preserved at 0°C and 4°C were
examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy
(TEM). Some corneas were preserved as whole globes in an eye preservation medium
(EP-II) either at 4°C or at 0°C for 1, 2 and 7 days. The specimens were prepared for SEM
and TEM according to routine methods. For all storage times, the endothelium preserved
at 0°C showed less irregularity of the cell surface, swollen mitochondria or vacuoles than
that at 4°C. A significant difference in structural changes between the endothelium
preserved at 4°C and 0°C was seen after 7 days' storage. The former showed destruction
of the surface cell membrane and degenerated cell organella, while the latter maintained
the structure of the surface cell membrane and cell organella. These findings suggest that
the lifetime of a rat endothelium preserved at 0°C is longer than that at 4°C.
Key words: corneal endothelium; low temperature preservation (0°C); scanning electron microscopy;
transmission electron microscopy
