Electro-spun Membranes as Scaffolds for Human Corneal Endothelial Cells. (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kruse, Magnus; Walter, Peter; Bauer, Benedict; Rütten, Stephan; Schaefer, Karola; Plange, Niklas; Gries, Thomas; Jockenhoevel, Stefan; Fuest, Matthias
• Is Part Of: Current eye research. Volume 43:Number 1(2018)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 11
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: Cornea -- endothelial cells -- scaffold -- tissue engineering -- electro-spinning; Ophthalmology -- Periodicals; Eye -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Ophthalmology -- Periodicals; 573.88
• DOI: 10.1080/02713683.2017.1377258
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0271-3683

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Background : Corneal endothelial dysfunction remains the most frequent indication for corneal transplantation, limited by donor material shortage, poor long-term graft survival, or allogeneic graft rejection. Therefore, tissue-engineered endothelial grafts (TEEG) represent a promising alternative to human donor tissue. In this study, we generated electro-spun scaffolds and tested these for their suitability for human corneal endothelial cell (hCEC) cultivation. Methods : The polymers poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA), and polycaprolactone (PCL) were spun with equal parameters. HCEC-12 was cultured on the scaffolds for 3 to 7 days. Scaffolds were evaluated by light microscopy, porometry, light transmission, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), live/dead staining and cell viability assay. Results : Electro-spun fibers from PMMA (2.99 ± 0.24 µm) showed significantly higher diameters than PCL (2.29 ± 0.11 µm; p = 0.003) and PLGA (1.84 ± 0.21 µm; p < 0.001), while fibers from PCL also showed larger diameters than those from PLGA ( p = 0.002). PMMA scaffolds (26.77 ± 17.48 µm) had significantly larger interstitial spaces than those from PCL (13.30 ± 5.47 µm; p = 0.04) and PLGA (10.42 ± 6.15 µm; p = 0.002), while PCL and PLGA did not differ significantly ( p = 0.26). SEM analysis revealed that only PLGA fibers preserved a normal HCEC-12 morphology. PLGA and PCL did not differ in cell number, death, or viability after 7 days of HCEC-12 cultivation. PMMA showed significantly higher cytotoxicity ( p < 0.001; PLGA: 1626.2 ± 183.8 RLU; PMMA: 841.9 ± 92.7 RLU; PCL: 1580.2 ± 171.02 RLU). Conclusions : The biodegradable PLGA and PCL electro-spun scaffolds resulted in equal biocompatibility, while PMMA showed cytotoxicity. Only PLGA preserved hCEC morphology and consequently seems to be a promising candidate for TEEG construction.