Open Access

Efficacy of enzyme‑induced collagen crosslinking on porcine cornea

  • Authors:
    • Shijie Zhang
    • Wenbo Zhang
    • Shiyu Xiao
    • Yanzhen Zhang
    • Duo Chen
    • Xiaoyu Liu
    • Yuan Wu
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: January 8, 2024     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2024.12377
  • Article Number: 87
  • Copyright: © Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of a new crosslinking (CXL) method, induced by enzymes, on porcine corneas. Corneal strip (10x3 mm) pairs obtained from 60 fresh porcine eyes were harvested and divided into four groups, Groups A‑D. Each pair of corneal strips was incised from the central part of the same cornea; one was incubated in transglutaminase (Tgase) solution (microbial Tgase 2 produced by tissue engineering) and the other remained untreated as a control. CXL strips of Groups A‑D were incubated with 2, 1, 0.5 and 0.25 U/ml Tgase solution, respectively at 37˚C for 30 min. After that, tensile strain measurements were performed for all strips. One cornea from each group was chosen randomly for hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson staining to identify histological morphology changes. The elastic modulus of treated corneas of Groups A‑D were 6.56±2.93, 4.72±1.29, 5.24±2.13 and 3.48±1.60 MPa (mean ± SD), respectively at a strain of 20%, and had a 66, 43, 36 and ‑6% increase compared with those of their control strips. Compared with the control strips, the elastic modulus of the treated strips significantly increased in Groups A‑C. The central corneal thickness of the treated corneas in Groups A‑D were 1.54±0.14, 1.41±0.15, 1.47±0.11 and 1.43±0.13 µm, respectively; however, there was not a statistically significant difference compared with the control group. No reduction in corneal transparency was observed, and no obvious abnormalities were found in corneal morphology. CXL mediated by enzymes can lead to a notable enhancement in the biomechanical characteristics of the cornea while maintaining its structural integrity. Enzyme‑induced CXL could be a new generation CXL method for strengthening the cornea.
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February-2024
Volume 27 Issue 2

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Zhang S, Zhang W, Xiao S, Zhang Y, Chen D, Liu X and Wu Y: Efficacy of enzyme‑induced collagen crosslinking on porcine cornea. Exp Ther Med 27: 87, 2024
APA
Zhang, S., Zhang, W., Xiao, S., Zhang, Y., Chen, D., Liu, X., & Wu, Y. (2024). Efficacy of enzyme‑induced collagen crosslinking on porcine cornea. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 27, 87. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2024.12377
MLA
Zhang, S., Zhang, W., Xiao, S., Zhang, Y., Chen, D., Liu, X., Wu, Y."Efficacy of enzyme‑induced collagen crosslinking on porcine cornea". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 27.2 (2024): 87.
Chicago
Zhang, S., Zhang, W., Xiao, S., Zhang, Y., Chen, D., Liu, X., Wu, Y."Efficacy of enzyme‑induced collagen crosslinking on porcine cornea". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 27, no. 2 (2024): 87. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2024.12377