Thermomechanical stability of sclera after glyceraldehyde crosslinking

Abstract

Scleral collagen crosslinking by glyceraldehyde proved very efficient in increasing the scleral thermomechanical stability by at least 10°C in Ts, stabilizing the eye shape and preventing the shrinkage of the eye in all dimensions. There is hope that, in a similar manner, glyceraldehyde crosslinking can stabilize the scleral collagen crosslinks and eye shape in myopia, stopping progression of scleral thinning and stretching.

Cosmetic Preservatives as Therapeutic Corneal and Scleral Tissue Cross-Linking Agents

“…36 Regarding thermal denaturation as an assay for TXL, several methods have been used previously to evaluate cross-linking changes intentionally induced in collagenous tissues by either chemical or photochemical means; these include mechanical testing (either uniaxial strip 10 or inflation testing 37 ), enzymatic digestion, 27 gel electrophoresis, 38 and thermal denaturation. 39 We have previously used thermal denaturation (as thermal shrinkage temperature) as an assay measure of chemically and UVA-riboflavin-induced cross-linking of collagenous tissue. 18 In this study, we evaluated TXL efficacy using an automated differential scanning calorimeter, which is an instrument that measures change in heat flow over time and can be used to determine the thermal transition (or denaturation) temperature (Tm) of a given substance.…”

Pharmacologic Alternatives to Riboflavin Photochemical Corneal Cross-Linking: A Comparison Study of Cell Toxicity Thresholds

“…41 Glyceraldehyde cross-linking of scleral collagen has also been shown to increase biomechanical rigidity 42 and increases scleral thermomechanical stability. 43 Glyceraldehyde crosslinking of cornea and sclera has also been studied by other research groups. [44][45][46] In our previous studies we have shown that aliphatic b nitroalcohol can cross-link collagenous tissue under physiologic conditions and these agents could be used as potential pharmacologic alternatives to UV-A riboflavin to stiffen corneoscleral tissues for keratoconus and related disorders.…”

Prevention and Management of Myopia and Myopic Pathology

“…119,120 UV-A use with scleral CXL has been associated with decreased dark-adapted ERG amplitudes up to 3 months posttreatment, with apoptotic cells and ultrastructural changes in retina layers also found. 121 111,118,119,[122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130] Glyceraldehyde is a non-light-activated chemical shown to increase scleral rigidity, but has ill effects on the neighboring cornea and muscles. 120 Alternatively, topical beta-nitroalcohols (or ''BNAs,'' commonly found in antibiotics and shampoos) and formaldehyde releasers (or ''FARs,'' which are preservatives found in cosmetics, body wash, and ophthalmic solutions; e.g., BLU Gel A multidose artificial tears, SOOFT italia [Montegiorgio FM, Italy]) effectively crosslink corneal and scleral collagen in vitro, and have very good safety profiles (Hoang Q, et al IOVS 2013;54:ARVO E-Abstract 136).…”