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Toward the development of an artificial cornea: Improved stability of interpenetrating polymer networks
Author(s) -
Hartmann Laura,
Watanabe Kenji,
Zheng Luo Luo,
Kim ChangYeon,
Beck Stayce E.,
Huie Philip,
Noolandi Jaan,
Cochran Jennifer R.,
Ta Christopher N.,
Frank Curtis W.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.31806
Subject(s) - biocompatibility , cornea , ethylene glycol , materials science , in vivo , acrylate , interpenetrating polymer network , biomedical engineering , inlay , peg ratio , acrylamide , self healing hydrogels , polymer , polymer chemistry , monomer , chemistry , ophthalmology , composite material , organic chemistry , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , finance , biology , economics , metallurgy
A novel interpenetrating network (IPN) based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(acrylic acid) was developed and its use as an artificial cornea was evaluated in vivo . The in vivo results of a first set of corneal inlays based on PEG‐diacrylate precursor showed inflammation of the treated eyes and haze in the corneas. The insufficient biocompatibility could be correlated to poor long‐term stability of the implant caused by hydrolytic degradation over time. Adapting the hydrogel chemistry by replacing hydrolysable acrylate functionalities with stable acrylamide functionalities was shown to increase the long‐term stability of the resulting IPNs under hydrolytic conditions. This new set of hydrogel implants now shows increased biocompatibility in vivo. Rabbits with corneal inlay implants are healthy and have clear cornea and non‐inflamed eyes for up to 6 months after implantation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2011.