Degradation Studies and Biological Behavior on an Artificial Cornea Material

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2011

Authors

Livia Santos (Author) Other; Maria Pia Ferraz (Author) FEUP; Yuki Shirosaki (Author) Other; Maria Ascensao Lopes (Author) FEUP; Maria Helena Fernandes (Author) FMDUP; Akiyoshi Osaka (Author) Other; Jose Domingos Santos (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Investigative ophthalmology & visual science

Vol. 52 No. 7

Pages: 4274-4281

ISSN: 0146-0404

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 10 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 17 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Clinical medicine

CORDIS: Technological sciences > Engineering > Biomaterial engineering

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-QMK

DOI: 10.1167/iovs.10-6861

Abstract (EN): PURPOSE. Patients with dry eye syndrome, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, or recurrent transplant rejections are unsuitable to receive a keratoprosthesis. The present work aims at developing a highly biocompatible keratoprosthesis that could be successfully implanted in such patients. METHODS. Glass-reinforced hydroxyapatite (GRHA) was used to construct this new artificial cornea. To grant the device an adequate porosity, a porogen agent was added in the following percentages: 10, 30, and 50%. Samples were physicochemically analyzed in terms of density, porosity, roughness, degradation, and surface imaging. Biological relevance was assessed by cell culture, MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrasodium bromide) assays, and cell imaging. RESULTS. Samples B (30% porogen) and C (50% porogen) were found to be the most porous and also had the roughest topography. Degradation studies showed that under simulated physiologic conditions, no mass loss was found. Conversely, under acidic conditions, a significant mass loss was found. The biological performance of these samples was satisfactory when cultured with human fibroblasts. The MTT assay revealed that samples B and C had greater propensity to cell invasion and proliferation than that of the other tested materials. Cell imaging demonstrated that fibroblasts organized around the pore edges before colonizing it. CONCLUSIONS. A material with physicochemical and biological characteristics close to an ideal artificial cornea has been fabricated. The GRHA cornea containing 30% porogen is the most promising substitute material due to the biological performance, adequate porosity, and low degradation propensity. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011;51:4274-4281) DOI:10.1167/iovs.10-6861

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 8