Rational Nanotoolbox with Theranostic Potential for Medicated Pro‐Regenerative Corneal Implants

Abstract

Cornea diseases are a leading cause of blindness and the disease burden is exacerbated by the increasing shortage around the world for cadaveric donor corneas. Despite the advances in the field of regenerative medicine, successful transplantation of laboratory‐made artificial corneas is not fully realized in clinical practice. The causes of failure of such artificial corneal implants are multifactorial and include latent infections from viruses and other microbes, enzyme overexpression, implant degradation, extrusion or delayed epithelial regeneration. Therefore, there is an urgent unmet need for developing customized corneal implants to suit the host environment and counter the effects of inflammation or infection, which are able to track early signs of implant failure in situ. This work reports a nanotoolbox comprising tools for protection from infection, promotion of regeneration, and noninvasive monitoring of the in situ corneal environment. These nanosystems can be incorporated within pro‐regenerative biosynthetic implants, transforming them into theranostic devices, which are able to respond to biological changes following implantation.

Green, scalable, low cost and reproducible flow synthesis of biocompatible PEG-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles

“…In the synthesis reactor, the initially formed particles visibly aggregated immediately but this aggregation was found to be Reaction Chemistry & Engineering Paper reversible depending on the base counter cation employed in the synthesis. The particles de-aggregate in the presence of NEt 4 + at high pH (12)(13) over the course of 1-2 minutes. This observation suggests that two competing processes are at play: aggregation and electrostatic stabilization.…”

“…Iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 NP) are widely investigated for biomedical applications, such as MRI contrast agents, [1][2][3][4] drug delivery, [5][6][7] magnetic hyperthermia cancer treatment, [8][9][10] theranostics, 11,12 cryopreservation, 13,14 etc. iron oxide is particularly suited for biomedical applications because of its magnetic properties and low toxicity compared to other ferromagnetic materials such as cobalt and nickel.…”

Hydrogels as Emerging Materials for Cornea Wound Healing

“…Incorporation of ECM into the stromal layer significantly enhanced the mechanical property and suture ability with no detectable negative effects on transparency. [64] Patra et al [65] fabricated a biosynthetic cornea hydrogel made from collagen, and loaded with GNPs and FeNPs for noninvasive monitoring of the in situ corneal environments and controlled delivery of Aciclovir. Based on their findings, their nanosystem hydrogel showed protection against HSV-1.…”

Tissue Engineering Meets Nanotechnology: Molecular Mechanism Modulations in Cornea Regeneration

“…Another promising direction is the combined application of nanotechnology and corneal tissue engineering with natural biomaterials. For example, to form a biomaterial with the desired properties it can be combined with metal nanoparticles, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, and nanoliposomes [111]. Nanostructured hydrogels are mainly used for the delivery of genes and proteins.…”