Ability of Nonswelling Polyethylene Glycol-Based Vitreous Hydrogel to Maintain Transparency in the Presence of Vitreous Hemorrhage

Abstract

PurposePostoperative vitreous hemorrhage is a vision-impacting complication of vitrectomy. This preclinical in vitro study assessed the potential ability of a nonswelling polyethylene glycol-based artificial vitreous hydrogel to maintain transparency in the vitreous cavity in the presence of vitreous hemorrhage.MethodsSamples (1 mL) of diluted blood at concentrations of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1.25% were added to 1 mL samples of polymerized hydrogel in cuvettes (gel + blood group); 2 mL samples of diluted blood at the same concentrations were prepared as controls (blood only group). Spectral transmission curves for the hydrogel (gel + blood group) and diluted blood (blood only group) were obtained before and on days 1, 2, 5, 7, 14, and 28 of the experiment. Between-group comparisons were made using the Student's t-test. The percentage of transmittance in the visible light spectrum (400–700 nm) was measured at each time point.ResultsMean light transmittance was maintained at >90% until day 7 in the gel + blood group and was significantly greater in the gel + blood than in the blood only groups in samples containing blood diluted to 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1.25% during the 28-day study period (P < 0.05).ConclusionsA nonswelling polyethylene glycol-based artificial vitreous hydrogel maintained high optical transparency in the presence of blood through the study period. Injection of this hydrogel into the vitreous cavity at the end of surgery might help to prevent or mitigate vitreous hemorrhage-associated postoperative visual loss.Translational RelevanceThe hydrogel may prevent visual loss due to postoperative vitreous hemorrhage.

Biocompatibility and Efficacy of a Linearly Cross-Linked Sodium Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel as a Retinal Patch in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Repairment

“…Simultaneously, our results demonstrated the efficacy of the HA-engineered hydrogel as the retinal patch in the RRD model of rabbit eyes with a 3-month follow-up, which can aid in the complete reattachment of the retina without the need for expansile gas or silicone oil endotamponade. Sterile air as endotamponade combined with the HA-engineered hydrogel as the retinal patch avoids the adverse complications of long-acting gas and silicone oil, discomfort from the strict postoperative face-down position, and the long-term poor visual quality caused by the higher (silicone oil) or lower (long-acting gas) refractive index compared to the natural human vitreous ( Hoshi et al, 2019 ). The IOP fluctuated significantly within 1 week after the operation and recovered spontaneously within 1 month in our study, with no statistical difference.…”

Novel vitreous substitutes: the next frontier in vitreoretinal surgery

“…By contrast, hydrogel-based vitreous substitutes offer the required properties due to their similarity to the natural vitreous body. Here, the design of vitreous substitutes is supported by recent scientific findings, for example the structure of vitreous main polymers by enzymatic degradation studies [22], the behaviour of hydrogels in the presence of simulated vitreous haemorrhage [23] or the comparison of fluidic viscosity and surface tension on the tamponading effect [24].…”

Tailoring the Swelling‐Shrinkable Behavior of Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

“…Therefore, the PCL‐PNAGA meniscus scaffold efficiently protected in vivo cartilage against wearing, and inhibited the progressive of osteoarthritis. [ 232 ] Besides, NSHs have been gradually served as space‐filling grafts in tension‐freely internal tissues, like artificial vitreous body, [ 143 , 233 ] and craniofacial soft tissues. Injectable non‐swelling hydrogel holds potential in minimally invasive tissue engineering.…”