Lightweight, Elastic and Bioactive Scaffolds with Enhanced Vascularization and Anti-Inflammation for Post-Enucleation Orbital Reconstruction.

Abstract

Ocular destructive surgery serves as the definitive treatment for irreversible severe damage to intraorbital structures. However, complications such as chronic inflammation, tissue compression, and displacement caused by traditional orbital implant materials significantly impair the life quality of patients in the long term. In this study, we developed a silk fibroin super-elastic sponge (SF-SEA) orbital implant featuring a microporous spherical structure, designed to provide intraorbital structural support and promote tissue regeneration. The orbital implant incorporates a double- crosslinking silk fibroin network and ice-templating micropores, thereby forming a biocompatible, hydrophilic, and lightweight scaffold with tissue ingrowth capability. Exosomes isolated from human urine-derived stem cells (hUSCs) could be conveniently loaded into the scaffold to form bioactive SF-SEA@exo orbital implant, which exhibits sustained exosome release and significantly promotes the proliferation, migration, and angiogenic capacity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In the rabbit enucleation and reconstruction model, SF-SEA@exo promoted effective vascular infiltration and displayed anti-inflammatory effects when compared with clinically used traditional hydroxyapatite prostheses. Consequently, the proposed SF-SEA@exo shows promise as an orbital implant for eyeball removal therapy, with substantial transformative potential for clinical translation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This research has developed a bioactive orbital implant based on silk fibroin super-elastic sponge loaded with exosomes from human urine-derived stem cells (SF-SEA@exo). With porous structure, natural eyeball-like density and sustained exosome release, the prosthesis promoted angiogenesis and tissue regeneration after enucleation more effectively than the traditional hydroxyapatite implants, and controlled the inflammation of the surrounding tissue.