title: Combined microfabrication and electrospinning to produce 3-D architectures for corneal repair.
abstract: Corneal stem cell niches are located within the limbus of the eye and are believed to play an important role in corneal regeneration. These niches are often lost in corneal disease or trauma. Our work explores the design of artificial limbal stem cell niches by the fabrication of biodegradable electrospun rings containing bespoke microfeatures. In creating artificial niches, we seek to provide a physically protective environment for limbal cells to act as a cell reservoir for tissue regeneration purposes. This study describes the first step in this challenge to produce structures which structurally approximate to the limbal niches. This was achieved using a combination of electrospinning and microfabrication. Initial microfabricated structures were developed using microstereolithography via a layer-by-layer photocuring approach based on the patterning of photocurable polymers, in this case polyethylene glycol diacrylate. This was then used as a template on which to electrospin a biodegradable membrane of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) 50:50, which incorporates the features of the underlying microfabricated structures. The study describes preliminary evaluation of these constructs using rabbit limbal epithelial and stromal cells.
authors.affiliation: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kroto Research Institute, University of Sheffield, Broad Lane, Sheffield S3 7HQ, UK. i.ortega@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ilida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Pallavi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deshpande
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: MacNeil
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Claeyssens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000473:pathology*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D055616:Microtechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010590:Phalloidine / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000378:metabolism; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D012235:Rhodamines; D010590:Phalloidine; C009434:tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate