Abstract
Purpose :
Keratitis resulting from chemical burns is a frequently encountered issue in daily life. The conventional approach primarily involves conservative measures, encompassing disinfection of the affected area and the application of medications like antibiotics. Nevertheless, there remains a lack of effective treatment for severe conditions such as corneal opacification or stromal defects triggered by the progression of refractory keratitis. In such advanced cases, transplantation of human corneas stands as the sole viable option. Here, we developed GelCODE, a tissue adhesive derived from corneal extracellular matrix. This breakthrough aims to address refractory keratitis, fostering tissue regeneration with the potential to eliminate the necessity for corneal transplantation.
Methods :
The corneal alkali-burn injury model was acutely induced by contacting rat eyes with filter paper soaked with 0.5N NaOH for 30 sec. Rats were divided into four groups: normal eyes(NE), normal eyes treated with GelCODE(NG), alkali-burned eyes(AE), and alkali-burned eyes treated with GelCODE(AG). Eyes treated with alkali solution were washed with eye drops for 10min, simulating first aid for eye burns, and then corneal inflammation was examined under a slit lamp with fluorescein stain.
Results :
In 7 days, the corneas of AE became completely opaque with noticeable white surface and the light transmittance was nearly zero at the wavelength of 500 nm. Whereas AG showed an improved light transmittance of about 55% of NE. Histological analysis revealed the corneas of AG regenerated the epithelium to its normal form and restored a well-aligned collagen fibers in the stromal layer in 30 days. Furthermore, the alkali burn induced an explosive increase in the expression of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1β, while the inflammatory response was significantly suppressed by the GelCODE treatment. Overall, GelCODE enabled immediate wound repair by reducing inflammation, promoting matrix regeneration, and ultimately preserving corneal transparency.
Conclusions :
This study demonstrates that cornea-derived ECM-based tissue restorative adhesive is effective in treating various corneal pathologies such as refractory keratitis and corneal ulceration and represents the potential to consisting of a new branch of advanced regenerative medical devices in the field of ophthalmology.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.