Proliferative Capacity of in Vitro Corneal Epithelium: Role of Acacia Honey in the Initial Step of Wound Healing

Proliferation of corneal epithelial cells (CEC) isvital in the initial stage of wound healing. This study aimed to investigate the proliferative capacity of Acacia Honey (AH) on rabbit CEC via assessment on morphology, proliferation, cell cycle, gene and protein expressions.The optimal dose of AH in basal medium (BM) and complete cornea medium (CCM) was identified via MTT assay. CEC cultured in both media supplemented with 0.025% AH showed optimal proliferative capacity compared to the control. There were no abnormal changes in morphology and cell cycle analysis. Gene and protein expression of CK3 was increased in the CEC cultured with 0.025% AH in both media. CEC cultured in media supplemented with 0.025% AH promotes proliferation while retaining its normal morphology, cell cycle, gene and protein expressions. These promising results serve as an impetus in realizing the proliferative potential of AH in promoting the initial step of corneal wound healing. 