The Development of a Serum-Free Derived Bioengineered Conjunctival Epithelial Equivalent Using an Ultrathin Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Membrane Substrate

Abstract

An ultrathin PCL membrane was shown to be biocompatible, mechanically strong enough to stand up to handling, and able to support conjunctival epithelial cell proliferation. This membrane may have potential for use as a scaffold matrix for tissue-engineered conjunctival equivalents.

A novel pressed porous silicon-polycaprolactone composite as a dual-purpose implant for the delivery of cells and drugs to the eye

“…The biocompatibility of both pSi and PCL have previously been demonstrated individually (Low et al, 2009;Ang et al, 2006) and together as a composite material (Kashanian et al, 2010) for use at the front of the eye. Different PCL composites have recently been tested as potential scaffolds for transplantation of retinal progenitor cell to the back of the eye (Baranov et al, 2014).…”

Alternative methods for the replacement of eye irritation testing

“…Other materials such as polycaprolactone (PCL), a biocompatible polyester, are being investigated, which have the benefit of being already medically approved for pharmaceutical products and have been used as scaffolds for skin and bone regeneration. Moreover, it could be shown that conjunctival epithelial cells can be expanded in vitro on the polyester (Ang et al, 2006). One of the most promising models for eye irritation testing includes human corneal keratinocytes grown on a collagen scaffold with human corneal keratocytes.…”

Limbal Epithelial Stem Cells in Corneal Regeneration

“…Various extracellular matrices have been used previously for limbal epithelial stem cell expansion such as fibrin, collagen scaffold, temperature responsive cell culture surfaces, human anterior capsule, natural and synthetic scaffolds etc. [44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53] Limbal epithelial cells expanded onto a fibrin substrate showed promising results; the corneal surface was covered by a transparent normal-looking epithelium and their visual acuity had also improved. 44 Nishida et al, (2004) have developed a temperature-sensitive sol-gel transition for the transfer of intact epithelial sheets for corneal resurfacing.…”

“…[53][54][55] In ophthalmic application, PCL has already been explored as a carrier 53 due to its in-vivo biocompatibility as it does not induce any immunological reactions after degradation. Our preliminary studies have shown that the PCL polymer provides a suitable alternative for overcoming the shortcomings of natural and synthetic polymers, resulting in a new biomaterial with good biocompatibility and improved mechanical, physical and chemical properties ( Figure 6).…”