Ultrathin chitosan–poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel films for corneal tissue engineering

Biodegradable and Biocompatible Poly(Ethylene Glycol)‐based Hydrogel Films for the Regeneration of Corneal Endothelium

“…[ 33 ] Even though our initial studies had shown favorable results in vitro, our subsequent in vivo studies indicated major infl ammatory and foreign body responses towards the chitosan-based fi lms (results not published). In order to overcome these unfavorable in vivo responses, in this study, we report the fabrication of fully synthetic, biocompatible and biodegradable PEG-based hydrogel fi lms (PHFs) via a novel synthetic approach, involving the reaction of multifunctional PEG stars with acid chloride derivatives, while PCL was covalently incorporated into the PHFs to provide robust tensile properties.…”

“…Disulfi des are able to provide biodegradability to biomaterials due to their ability to be cleaved by reducing agents such as glutathione and L-cysteine as shown in our previous study. [ 31,33 ] These degradation profi les are only representative of in vitro hydrolytic conditions and may be further affected by the presence of hydrolytic enzymes or disulphide-cleaving agents in vivo. The results of the in vitro degradation study demonstrate the PHFs' characteristics as biodegradable implants, and via variation of the PCL content degradation rates can be readily tailored as required.…”

Chitosan Hydrogels for Regenerative Engineering

“…Ozcelik et al used ultrathin chitosan-PEG [118] hydrogel films prepared by epoxy-amine chemistry for culturing ovine corneal endothelial cells (CECs). The chitosan films demonstrated the ability to support the attachment and proliferation of ovine CECs and also had excellent mechanical, optical, biocompatible properties appropriate for corneal regenerative engineering [126]. Similarly, Liang et al showed that a composite biodegradable hydrogel made of chitosan and sodium alginate can be used as a scaffold for CEC proliferation and are useful for the reconstruction of the corneal endothelium [127].…”

Corneal Tissue Engineering: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

“…60,[69][70][71][72][73][74] Decellularized aminiotic membrane was clinically evaluated in combination with human corneal endothelial cells in a lamellar keratoplasty model, where the removal of the endothelium and part of the Descemet's membrane was performed and able to function as a corneal endothelium equivalent. 73 …”

“…59 As an example, hydrogels films prepared from chitosan blended with poly(ethylene glycol) and poly (l,d lactic acid) nanofibers in a composite with type I collagen hydrogel displayed improved mechanical, optical, and biological performances compared with synthetic fibers alone. 56,60 Among the natural polymers, hydrogels from reconstituted type I collagen offer the advantage of encapsulating living cells and, 61 particularly in the context of the human cornea, are widely used due to type I collagen dominant content in the corneal stroma. However, due to insufficient mechanical properties and the susceptibility to cell-mediated remodeling and degradation, chemical cross-linkers are commonly used with type I collagen hydrogels for corneal stromal replacements or regeneration.…”