简介：AIM:Todemonstratethemorphologyandstructureofinvitroreconstructedtissue-engineeredhumancornealepithelium(TE-HCEP)withseedercellsfromanuntransfectedHCEPcellline.·METHODS:TheTE-HCEPswerereconstructedinvitrowithseedercellsfromanuntransfectedHCEPcellline,andscaffoldcarriersofdenudedamnioticmembrane(dAM)inair-liquidinterfaceculturefor3,5,7and9days,respectively.Thespecimenswereexaminedwithhematoxylin-eosin(HE)stainingofparaffin-section,immunocytochemicalstaining,scanningandtransmissionelectronmicroscopy.·RESULTS:DuringinvitroreconstructionofTE-HCEP,HCEPcellsformeda3-4,6-7and8-10layersofanHCEP-likestructureondAMsinair-liquidinterfaceculturefor3,5and7days,respectively.Butthecellsdeceasedto5-6layersandthestructureofstraifiedepitheliumbecamelooseatday9.Andthecellsmaintainedpositiveexpressionofmarkerproteins(keratin3andkeratin12),cell-junctionproteins(zonulaoccludens-1,E-cadherin,connexin43andintegrinβ1)andmembranetransportproteinofNa+-K+ATPase.TheHCEPcellsinTE-HCEPwererichinmicrovillionapicalsurfaceandestablishednumerouscell-cellandcell-dAMjunctionsatday5.·CONCLUSION:ThemorphologyandstructureofthereconstructedTE-HCEPweresimilartothoseofHCEPinvivo.TheHCEPcellsinthereconstructedTE-HCEPmaintainedthepropertiesofHCEPcells,includingabilitiesofformingintercellularandcell-extracellularmatrixjunctionsandabilitiesofperformingmembranetransportation.TheuntransfectedHCEPcellsanddAMscouldpromisinglybeusedinreconstructionHCEPequivalentforclinicalcornealepitheliumtransplantation.