Abstract
Purpose :
To develop a durable, biocompatible, transparent, artificial corneal stromal substitute that would mimic the human corneal stroma in key physical and physiological functions
Methods :
a hyaluronic acid (HA)-based 500 μm hydrogel was fabricated and then crosslinked. Compounds ratios as well as crosslinking condition was systematically evaluated by assessing swelling ratio (hydrogel weight after submerging in PBS), mechanical strength (rheometer with cone-and-plate geometry), biodegradability (remaining weight after submerging in an enzyme cocktail), optical transparency (spectrophotometer at UV-Visible wavelengths) and glucose/albumin permeability (glucose and albumin concentration across the hydrogel) of the resulting hydrogels. The hydrogel was then coated with an antiangiogenic compound to prevent neovascularization
Results :
all composites were completely clear (>88% transmittance) with refractive index of ~1.3, which is very close to that of the human cornea. Hydrogels were shown to have an equilibrium water content of ~90% with less than 5% degradation in enzymatic solution over 2 months. Tensile strength and maximum elongation of the hydrogels were found to be 1.47 MPa and 8.57% respectively, which are comparable to native cornea. The presence of the specific bonds in the hydrogel structure and the crosslinking of the antiangiogenic compound coating on the walls were confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra
Conclusions :
We have been able to produce a hyaluronic acid-based co-polymer with optical and mechanical properties similar to the human corneal stroma. Further studies would be needed to test biocompatibility in vitro and in animal models
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.