Co-Culturing Improves Induction of Human Amniotic Epithelial Cells into Corneal Epithelial-Like Cells in Vitro

Co-culture system has the feasibility of trans differentiating multipotential cells into specific cells, which plays an important role in tissue engineering. Corneal alkali burn is a common type of ocular injury, which often results in extensive damage and permanent visual impairment. Recently, human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs), a type of multipotent cells originally isolated from amnion tissues, have become a promising source for the treatment of corneal chemical burn. Accumulating evidence has indicated that hAECs possess multi-differentiational properties for tissue repair and regeneration. Here, we present evidence that hAECs possess immunophenotypic features of corneal epithelial cells and ultrastructure changes, indicating that these cells have the potential to differentiate into corneal epithelial-like cells. Our findings therefore suggest that hAECs could be a promising substitute for corneal epithelial cells which are widely damaged by alkali burns.