Abstract
Purpose :
Tissue engineering is currently employed to develop transplantable corneal tissues to overcome the global shortage of human donor corneas. For this purpose, biocompatible scaffolds need to address specific characteristics. In this study, we characterized the degradation rate and water absorption of collagen membranes (CM) used in corneal tissue engineering.
Methods :
For the degradation test, CM were incubated at 37°C in synthetic aqueous humor (AH) or at 47°C in AH or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 60 and 22 days, respectively, to simulate physiological and accelerated conditions. The weight of the CM was measured at time 0 and weekly to determine the wet weight and dry weight after drying at room temperature for 10 min. A total of 8 data points were collected for CM incubated at 47°C, and 10 data points were collected for CM at 37°C. The mass loss and water absorption percentages were calculated at each time point. Each assay was performed in triplicate. Data were analyzed using two-tailed Student’s t-test
Results :
There was no observed degradation of CM in AH at 37°C or 47°C. CM in PBS at 47°C reached a maximum degradation of 55% on day 22. In the water absorption test, in CM on AH at 37°C, the maximum water absorption achieved was 634% on day 36. In contrast, in CM on AH at 47°C, the maximum water absorption was 820% on day 1, whereas on PBS at 47°C, it was 957% on day 8. Additionally, a significant difference was observed in the water absorption rate between AH and PBS (p<0.05).
Conclusions :
The degradation rate of CM depends on the substance in which it is immersed and the temperature at which it is exposed. According to the water absorption percentages, CM exhibited immediate absorption upon immersion in AH and PBS at 47°C, demonstrating that the water absorption rate was higher at higher temperatures than under physiological conditions. Further studies are necessary to investigate the behavior of CM under conditions that closely resemble the physiological rate of aqueous humor turnover.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.