Photocurable antimicrobial silk-based hydrogels for corneal repair.

ABSTRACT: Corneal transplantation is the current gold standard treatment to restore visual acuity to patients with severe corneal diseases and injuries. Due to severe donor tissue shortage, efforts to develop a corneal equivalent have been made but the challenge remains unmet. Another issue of concern in ocular surgery is the difficult instillation and fast drainage of antibiotic ocular eye drops as bacterial infections can jeopardize implant success by delaying or impairing tissue healing. In this study, we developed antimicrobial silk-based hydrogels that have the potential to be photoactivated in situ, fully adapting to the corneal injury shape. Gentamicin-loaded methacrylated-silk (SilkMA) hydrogels were prepared within minutes using low UV intensity (3 mW/cm² ). SilkMA gels provided

SUBMITTER: Barroso IA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9313849 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature