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Hyaluronic Acid Conjugated Gelatin Nanofiber Membranes for Endothelial Corneal Regeneration

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Endothelial dysfunction is one of the leading causes of corneal blindness and requires the transplantation of donor tissue to rectify. With the continued rise in the number of endothelial keratoplasties performed annually, the global shortage of corneal donor tissue becomes increasingly pressing to address. Recent developments in electrospun membranes as culturing platforms for corneal endothelial cells (CECs) could help alleviate the shortage of natural tissue by enabling the creation of a biomimetic endothelium that could be used as a substitute. In this study, we successfully combined hyaluronic acid (HA) with electrospun gelatin nanofiber (gelNF) membranes to create a conjugated HA-gelNF membrane. When compared to bare gelNF membranes, HA-gelNF exhibited a higher transmittance with comparable cytocompatibility with CECs. This cytocompatibility was observed by the successful formation of a flush junction monolayer of CECs and the formation of CECs with characteristic hexagonal morphology. Additionally, the membranes demonstrated significantly higher elastic modulus than HA alone, providing sufficient mechanical strength to be handled surgically. With a thickness of 60-100 μm that is within the range for use in Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), this enabled the preliminary testing of the HA-gelNF membranes in rabbit models which demonstrated minimal inflammation and restoration of the majority of pre-operative corneal transparency. These findings demonstrate HA-gelNF as a promising culturing platform for the creation of biomimetic endothelial tissue due to its transparency, mechanical strength, and cytocompatibility with CECs.
DOI: 10.25740/hq632xk1569
Language: English
Subfield: Biomaterials
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163760782
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