Fig. 3

Comparisons of transplantation of primary non-pigmented rabbit RPE cells and CECs in restoring corneal endothelial dysfunction. a, b Corneal transparency of rabbits injected with non-pigmented Rb-CEC and Rb-RPE were observed by a slit lamp microscope at days 1, 3, 7, and 14, respectively. c OCT image-based central corneal thickness analysis. d IOP was measured by tonometer at days 1, 3, 7, and 14, respectively. e Immunofluorescence staining of ZO1 (green) and RPE65 (green) in the central area of corneas transplanted with non-pigmented Rb-RPE and Rb-CEC at day 14 postoperatively. Nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue) (scale bar: 50 μm). Data are mean ± SEM. In vivo experiments were performed using three independent animals per group. Significance (ns: nonsignificant) relative to Rb-CEC. RPE, retinal pigment epithelium; CEC, corneal endothelial cell; IOP, intraocular pressure; OCT, optical coherence tomography; Rb-CEC, rabbit CECs; Rb-RPE, rabbit RPE cells; SEM, standard error of the mean