Kornea rejenerasyonuna yönelik amniyotik membran temelli stratejiler

Human amniotic membrane (HAM), obtained from the inmost layer of the placenta, has been utilized in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications for many years in various forms such as intact HAM, decellularized, micronized or extract form. Amniotic membrane extract (AME) is an extract form of HAM and known to contain a plethora of cytokines and growth factors, making it a highly attractive option for topical applications. In the first part of thesis, the effects of AME concentration on corneal keratocytes and the effects of using AME with eye drops on cell viability were investigated. It has been observed that the combined use of 50 μg/mL AME and eye drops increases corneal keratocyte cell proliferation. In the second part of thesis, AME was blended with Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells derived-exosomes (WJ-MSC-Exos) and the effects of their combined use on the proliferation of corneal keratocytes as well as their ability to promote in vitro cell migration, wound healing, and their impact on cellular morphology were evaluated. Although WJ-MSC-Exos and AME have been used separately for wound healing research, their combined synergistic effects have not been studied extensively. Our findings indicated that the presence of both exosomes (3x105 Exo/mL) and AME (50 μg/mL) synergistically enhance the proliferation of corneal keratocytes. Overall, all these findings demonstrate that HAM can be utilized towards corneal regeneration through various strategies, or in combination with helpful solutions such as exosomes and eye drops. Keywords: Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived Exosomes, Amniotic Membrane Extract, Corneal Keratocytes, Eye Drops, in vitro corneal wound healing.