Bio-orthogonal crosslinking and hyaluronan facilitate transparent healing after treatment of deep corneal injuries with in situ-forming hydrogels
Abstract Corneal transplantation is the primary treatment for corneal blindness, affecting millions globally. However, challenges like donor scarcity and surgical complications remain. Recently, in situ-forming corneal stroma substitutes have emerged, offering potential solutions to these limitation...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | npj Regenerative Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-024-00385-9 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Corneal transplantation is the primary treatment for corneal blindness, affecting millions globally. However, challenges like donor scarcity and surgical complications remain. Recently, in situ-forming corneal stroma substitutes have emerged, offering potential solutions to these limitations. These substitutes enable liquid-to-hydrogel formation in situ, eliminating sutures and reducing complications. Here we performed a direct, side-by-side comparison of a composite hyaluronan-collagen (HA-Col) hydrogel crosslinked by either photochemistry or bio-orthogonal chemistry to ascertain the impact of reaction specificity on corneal wound healing. Testing in rodent and rabbit models suggests that composite HA-Col gels crosslinked by bio-orthogonal chemistry results in more rapid and optically favorable wound healing compared to the same composition crosslinked by photochemistry as well as bio-orthogonally crosslinked collagen alone. These findings underscore biochemical parameters that may be important to the success of crosslinked, in situ-forming hydrogels as an alternative to corneal transplantation, with the potential for expanded access to treatment and improved outcomes. |
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| ISSN: | 2057-3995 |