RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To gain insight into the role of dendritic cells in graft rejection following penetrating keratoplasty by investigating their distribution in rat cornea.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Orthotopical corneal transplantation was performed and immunohistochemical staining of the whole-mount cornea and the spleen tissue specimen employed to determine the distribution of the dendritic cells in the cornea.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Graft rejection occurred in all rats following the transplantation. No OX-62(+) dendritic cells were found in normal cornea but they were present in the epithelium of the cornea graft with allograft rejection.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>OX-62(+) dendritic cells presenting in the rejected cornea may be related to acute graft rejection after penetrating keratoplasty.</p>