Abstract
Pterygium is an invasion of altered ocular tissue into the cornea. Bone marrow-derived stem cells have been reported to be involved in wound healing under chemotactic factors after pterygium removal and pain may act as a trigger signal. We evaluated the change of systemic and local chemotactic factors that could affect the mobilization and migration of BMSCs to the wound bed after conventional bare sclera pterygium excision. We also applied temporary amniotic membrane patch after pterygium removal, and compared the changes of cytokines with those of conventional bare sclera excision group. Substance-P (SP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and stem cell factor (SCF) were measured in plasma and tear using ELISA and migrating CD34(+) cells by flow cytometry. The results showed that post-operative pain was much reduced (p<0.05), and SP, VEGF and SCF kept consistently lower levels in plasma after temporary amniotic membrane application. Circulating CD34(+) cells increased slightly in the temporary amniotic membrane patch group compared with marked increase in the bare sclera group. Thus, the application of a temporary amniotic membrane after pterygium removal might be an effective therapeutic means by controlling pain and excessive infiltration of bone marrow-derived stem cells.