Photocurable GelMA Adhesives for Corneal Perforations

The current treatments for the management of corneal and scleral perforations include sutures and adhesives. While sutures are invasive, induce astigmatism and carry a risk of infection, cyanoacrylate glues are toxic, proinflammatory and form an opaque and rough surface that precludes vision. Conseq...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioengineering (Basel) 2022-01, Vol.9 (2), p.53
Main Authors: Barroso, Inês A, Man, Kenny, Robinson, Thomas E, Cox, Sophie C, Ghag, Anita K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adhesive strength
Adhesives
Astigmatism
Binding sites
Bioengineering
Cell adhesion
Cornea
Cyanoacrylates
Cytotoxicity
Disease transmission
Eye (anatomy)
FDA approval
Fibroblasts
Gelatin
Glues
Hydrogels
Inflammation
Light
Moisture content
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Perforation
Physiology
Polymers
Riboflavin
Sodium persulfate
Storage modulus
Surgery
Sutures
Toxicity
Water content
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Summary:The current treatments for the management of corneal and scleral perforations include sutures and adhesives. While sutures are invasive, induce astigmatism and carry a risk of infection, cyanoacrylate glues are toxic, proinflammatory and form an opaque and rough surface that precludes vision. Consequently, the clinical need for a fast curing and strong tissue adhesive with minimised cytotoxicity and host inflammation remains unmet. In this paper, we engineer a gelatine methacryloyl (GelMA) adhesive that can be crosslinked in situ within 2 min using UV or visible light and a riboflavin (RF)/sodium persulfate (SPS) system. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images demonstrated that the flowable GelMA adhesive could completely fill corneal wounds and restore the ocular curvature by forming a smooth contour on the ocular surface. Further, ex vivo studies in porcine eyes showed that GelMA bioadhesives exhibited burst pressures that were comparable to cyanoacrylates (49 ± 9 kPa), with the hydrogels exhibiting a transmittance (90%), water content (85%) and storage modulus (5 kPa) similar to the human cornea. Finally, using human dermal fibroblasts, we showed that our GelMA adhesive was non-toxic and could effectively support cell adhesion and proliferation. Taken together, the adhesive's performance, injectability and ease of administration, together with gelatin's availability and cost-effectiveness, make it a potential stromal filler or sealant for corneal and conjunctival applications.
ISSN:2306-5354
2306-5354
DOI:10.3390/bioengineering9020053