Matrix-tuned hyaluronic nanofibrils promoting regenerative ocular surfacing with minimal scarring.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42246112.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1088/1758-5090/ae7833.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Corneal epithelial damage remains a considerable clinical challenge, often leading to delayed wound healing and impaired vision. Hyaluronic acid (HA)-based nanofibers face fabrication and stability challenges, reducing their translational potential for corneal regeneration. The fabrication and characterization of aminolyzed polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrils (aNFs) with manipulated HA conjugation was investigated to enhance human corneal epithelial cell (hCEC) cell adhesion and proliferation. HA was chemically immobilized on aNF via aza-Michael addition using varying FeCl 3 concentrations over 24 h. Quantitative, turbidimetric, and colorimetric analyses confirmed HA conjugation to aNFs after 24h of reaction.Additionally, HA-conjugated NFs exhibited increased swelling and attenuated protein adsorption compared to aNFs. HA-conjugated nanofibrils (HA@NF) exhibited no detectable cytotoxicity toward hCECs. hCECs adhesion gradually increased proportionally with the degree of HA conjugation on HA@NFs. HA@NF24 induced the highest gene expression of hCEC-specific and proliferation markers, suggesting improved identity maintenance and hCEC proliferation in 3D cell sheet cultivation. Corneal wound healing studies with wild-type rabbits, HA@NFs accelerated recovery, highlighting their therapeutic potential. These results demonstrate that HA-optimized PCL nanofibrils are promising therapeutic materials for corneal regeneration and ocular tissue repair.