Fabrication and characterization of a water-resistant polyvinyl alcohol film with improved cell adhesion properties by a collagenous treatment as a scaffold in cornea tissue engineering
Dena Dalman1 *, Esmaeil Mirzaei1
- Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract: Addressing the challenge of corneal tissue engineering involves achieving both optimal transparency and effective cell adhesion in diverse scaffolds. While PVA, a synthetic polymer, can produce highly transparent films, its intense hydrophilicity hinders cell adherence. This article explores overcoming this limitation by employing a collagenous treatment to render a cell adhesive PVA film. Additionally, we enhance water resistance through an alkaline post-treatment, resulting in alterations to the scaffolds' swelling ratio, solubility, hydrophilicity, and mechanical characteristics.
Methods: PVA film was made by drop casting method and hydrolyzed by a specific concentration of NaOH (5 M) in order to achieve a water-resistant scaffold. Prior to the stem cells seeding on its surface, this water-resistant film was treated with a collagen type I solution for 12 hours and washed carefully. Extracted stem cells of the cornea were cultured on this final treated film.
Results: The dry and wet treated films had maximum tensile stress of 89.92 ± 3.72 and 3.85 ± 17 MPa, respectively. The resultant film has a light transmittance of about 90% in the range of 600 to 900 nm wavelength in both states. Human corneal limbal stem cells grown on this film showed good adhesion and proliferation as shown by the live/dead staining and MTT assay.
Conclusion: In summary, the optimal PVA film, treated with NaOH 5 M and collagenous solution, presents desirable optical, mechanical, and biological properties making it an attractive candidate for the regeneration of cornea.
