A Japanese study found cold-stored platelet-rich plasma (PRP) eye-drops promoted corneal epithelial wound healing with higher levels of growth factors than those observed in autologous serum (AS) eye-drops.

Researchers at Juntendo University prepared both PRP and AS drops from the blood of six healthy volunteers. On the day of preparation, higher platelet and lower leucocyte counts were observed in PRP compared to AS. Following storage at 4°C for four weeks, both preparations remained sterile but researchers said levels of transforming growth factor-β1, epidermal growth factor and fibronectin were significantly higher in the PRP preparation, which significantly promoted corneal wound healing compared with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and AS eye-drops. PRP eye drops “satisfy the unmet medical needs in the treatment of refractory keratoconjunctival epithelial disorders,” they concluded.