Amniotic membrane properties and current practice of amniotic membrane use in ophthalmology in Slovenia

Abstract

Amniotic membrane (AM) is the innermost, multilayered part of the placenta. When harvested, processed and stored properly, its properties, stemming from AM biological composition, make it a useful tissue for ophthalmic surgery. AM was shown to have several beneficial effects: it promotes epithelization, has antimicrobial effects, decreases inflammation, fibrosis and neovascularization. Many case reports and case series as well as practical experience (e.g. reconstruction of conjunctival and corneal defects, treatment of corneal ulcers) demonstrated the beneficial effect of AM for different ophthalmological indications. The combination of the above mentioned beneficial effects and reasonable mechanical properties are also the reason why AM is used as a substrate for ex vivo expansion of epithelial progenitor cells. Recently, amnion-derived cells, which also have stem cell characteristics, have been proposed as potential contributors to cell-based treatment of ocular surface disease. However, the use of AM remains one of the least standardized methods in ophthalmic surgery. In this review, the various properties of AM and its current clinical use in ophthalmology in Slovenia are discussed.

Amniotic Membrane-Coated Polypropylene Mesh for the Repair of Incisional Hernia: An Experimental Study In a Rat Model of Abdominal Wall Defect

“…The anterior abdominal wall was opened by subcostal incision extending down on both sides. An investigator blinded to the study groups assessed intra-abdominal adhesions macroscopically by Nair's adhesion scoring system (Table 1), (19).…”

“…Amniotic Membrane induces fibrosis, epithelization, and neovascularization. It also has antiviral and antimicrobial effects, and decreases inflammation (6,19,20). Therefore, it can be used as an anti-adherent layer for polypropylene mesh in repair of abdominal wall defects.…”

The synergistic effect of am and mo derived gel in burn and wound healing

“…Collagen-I, III, IV, V, VI, hyaluronan and proteoglycans. 13 Cross section of the human amniotic membrane indicates the biochemical characteristics of the section (Figure 2). 14…”

Properties and Therapeutic Potential of Human Amniotic Membrane

“…Amniotic membrane contains two distinct types of cells with different embryonic origin: embryonic ectoderm derived Amniotic Epithelial Cells (AECs) and mesoderm derived Amniotic Mesenchymal Cells (AMCs) (Benirschke and Kaufman, 2000;Blackburn, 2003). The major components that contribute to the integrity of AM and its biochemical properties are: cytoskeletal proteins of AM epithelial and stromal cells, e.g., actin, tubulin, different cytokeratins, vimentin, desmin; junctional proteins between AM epithelial cells, e.g., occludin, claudin-3 and -4 and desmoplakin and different types of collagen I, III, IV, V, VI hyaluronan and proteoglycans, which are abundant in AM stroma (Cirman et al, 2014).…”