Crosslinked collagen–gelatin–hyaluronic acid biomimetic film for cornea tissue engineering applications

Cornea disease may lead to blindness and keratoplasty is considered as an effective treatment method. However, there is a severe shortage of donor corneas worldwide. This paper presents the crosslinked collagen (Col)–gelatin (Gel)–hyaluronic acid (HA) films developed by making use of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) as the crosslinker. The test results on the physical and biological properties indicate that the CGH631 film (the mass ratio of Col:Gel:HA = 6:3:1) has appropriate optical performance, hydrophilicity and mechanical properties. The diffusion properties of the CGH631 film to NaCl and tryptophan are also satisfactory and the measured data are 2.43 × 10− 6 cm2/s and 7.97 × 10− 7 cm2/s, respectively. In addition, cell viability studies demonstrate that the CGH631 film has good biocompatibility, on which human corneal epithelial cells attached and proliferated well. This biocompatible film may have potential use in cornea tissue engineering.

► Crosslinked collagen–gelatin–hyaluronic acid films were fabricated in this study.
► The film had appropriate physical properties.
► Diffusion coefficient of the film was comparable with the human cornea.
► HCEC viability studies confirmed the biocompatibility of the film.