Cornea engineering on polyester carriers

Date
2006
Advisor
Instructor
Source Title
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research - Part A
Print ISSN
1549-3296
Electronic ISSN
1552-4965
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Volume
79
Issue
1
Pages
104 - 113
Language
English
Type
Article
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract

In this study, biodegradable polyester based carriers were designed for tissue engineering of the epithelial and the stromal layers of the cornea, and the final construct was tested in vitro. In the construction of the epithelial layer, micropatterned films were prepared from blends of biodegradable and biocompatible polyesters of natural (PHBV) and synthetic (P(L/DL)LA) origin, and these films were seeded with D407 (retinal pigment epithelial) cells. To improve cell adhesion and growth, the films were coated with fibronectin. To serve as the stromal layer of the cornea, highly porous foams of P(L/DL)LA-PHBV blends were seeded with 3T3 fibroblasts. Cell numbers on the polyester carriers were significantly higher than those on the tissue culture polystyrene control. The cells and the carriers were characterized scanning electron micrographs showed that the foam was highly porous and the pores were interconnected. 3T3 Fibroblasts were distributed quite homogeneously at the seeding site, but probably because of the high thickness of the carrier (∼6 mm); they could not sufficiently populate the core (central parts of the foam) during the test duration. The D407 cells formed multilayers on the micropatterned polyester film. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the cells retained their phenotype during culturing; D407 cells formed tight junctions characteristic of epithelial cells, and 3T3 cells deposited collagen type I into the foams. On the basis of these results, we concluded that the micropatterned films and the foams made of P(L/DL)LA-PHBV blends have a serious potential as tissue engineering carriers for the reconstruction of the epithelial and stromal layers of the cornea.

Course
Other identifiers
Book Title
Keywords
Cornea, Fibroblasts, Polyester, Retinal pigment epithelial cells, Tissue engineering, Biocompatibility, Biodegradation, Cell culture, Cells, Collagen, Foams, Histology, Polyesters, Porosity, Scanning electron microscopy, Tissue culture, Vision, Epithelial cells, Fibroblasts, Polyester film, Retinal pigment, Biomedical engineering, Collagen type 1, poly(3 hydroxybutyric acid co 3 hydroxyvaleric acid), poly(3 hydroxybutyric acid), Polylactide, Unclassified drug, Animal cell, Biocompatibility, Mouse, Nonhuman, Phenotype, Pigment epithelium, Scanning electron microscopy, Thickness
Citation
Published Version (Please cite this version)