AIM: To study the influences of dexamethasone to cryopreserved cornea endothelial cells.

METHODS: Fresh pig corneas were drilled down by 13mm-diameter trephine. Then the grafts were put into four kinds of cool cryoprotective media by turns and equilibriumed with ‘simplified four-step' method. All grafts were thawed in 40℃. All dexamethasone pretreatment corneas were additionally incubated in the last cool cryoprotective medium which had 0.01mg/mL, 0.03mg/mL or 0.05mg/mL dexamethasone for 18 hours in 4℃ before cryopreservation. Corneas thawed were stained by typan blue and alizarin Bordeaux. Survival rates of endothelia cells were observed.

RESULTS: There were no significant differences in endothelia survival rate among rate-freezing group and every dexamethasone pretreatment group.

CONCLUSION: In 0.01-0.05mg/mL of concentrations, dexamethasone shows no toxic effects. Survival rate of endothelial cells was more than 90%.