Bioengineered neo-corneal endothelium using collagen type-I coated silk fibroin film

Corneal transplantation, a common surgical protocol for visual acuity improvement, is limited owing to shortage of high quality donor corneas and/or lack of accurate replication of structural and biochemical composition of native cornea in a scaffold. Construction of neo-corneas utilizing novel, biocompatible and biodegradable scaffold/film source, could possibly address such formidable challenges. Herein, we designed optically transparent, micro-structurally stable silk films surface-coated with collagen type-I (Col-I/SF) as an alternative scaffold source for bioengineering of neo-cornea. Morphological, structural characteristics and in vitro biological studies were performed using primary rabbit corneal endothelial cells (rCEnCs) as models. The Col-I/SF films demonstrated higher Ra (nm) values compared to the bare SF surfaces. In vitro biological studies showed a significant increment in initial cell attachment and proliferation of cultured rCEnCs on the Col-I/SF films with well-maintained characteristic polygonal shape of rCEnCs. Although any remarkable changes regarding the morphology, expression of ZO-1 and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase were absent, however the cells were found to be capable of well-expressing their functional proteins which regulates functions of corneal endothelium. Collectively, these results strongly suggest Col-I/SF film for future corneal transplantation therapy.