| Autor: |
Borouman S; Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. khani@sbmu.ac.ir., Sigaroodi F; Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. khani@sbmu.ac.ir., Ahmadi Tafti SM; Research Center for Advanced Technologies in Cardiovascular Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1411713138, Iran., Khoshmaram K; Department of Life Science Engineering, Faculty of New Science and Technologies, University of Tehran (1417935840), Tehran, Iran., Soleimani M; Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. khani@sbmu.ac.ir., Khani MM; Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. khani@sbmu.ac.ir. |
| Abstrakt: |
Corneal transplantation is the gold standard treatment for corneal-related blindness; however, this strategy faces challenges such as limited donor cornea, graft rejection, suture-related complications, and the need for specialized equipment and advanced surgical skills. Development of tissue adhesives for corneal regeneration is of great clinical value. However, currently available corneal tissue sealants pose challenges, such as lack of safety, biocompatibility, and desired mechanical properties. To meet these requirements simultaneously, a bovine stromal corneal extracellular matrix (dCor) was used to design a bioadhesive photocurable hydrogel based on gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels (dCor/Gel-PEG). Integration of dCor into the dual networks of GelMA and PEGDA (Gel-PEG) led to a bioadhesive hydrogel for curing corneal defects, which could be crosslinked by Irgacure 2959 within 5 min ultraviolet irradiation. The viability of corneal stromal stem cells (CSSCs) was improved on the dCor/Gel-PEG hydrogel in comparison to the Gel-PEG hydrogel. The gene expression profile supported the keratocyte differentiation of CSSCs seeded on dCor/Gel-PEG via increased KERA and ALDH, with inhibited myofibroblast transdifferentiation via decreased α-SMA due to the presence of dCor. Interestingly, the dCor/Gel-PEG hydrogel exhibited favorable mechanical performance in terms of elasticity and bioadherence to the host corneal stroma. Ex vivo and in vivo examinations proved the feasibility of this hydrogel for the sutureless reconstruction of deep anterior corneal defects with promising histopathological results. |
