Enhanced Silk Fibroin-Based Film Scaffold Using Curcumin for Corneal Endothelial Cell Regeneration

The high demand for transplantable corneas is unlikely to subside anytime soon as there is a persistent shortage of cadaveric cornea. The goal of this study was to fabricate film scaffolds with desirable properties of a corneal endothelial cells (CECs) carrier. We used biocompatible materials (curcumin (CC) and silk fibroin (SF)) to construct transparent film scaffolds for CEC regeneration. The film scaffolds were subjected to surface analysis, transparency, stiffness, thermal characterization, and hydrophilicity evaluation. Biological activity of CECs on CC/SF film was analyzed by MTT assay, morphological analysis, mRNA expression, and histological study. Our results showed that the CC/SF film scaffolds had enhanced roughness and transparency compared to the pristine SF film scaffold. The hydrophilicity of the CC/SF film scaffolds showed a topographical environment that encouraged cellular interaction and tissue integration. All the films showed stable thermal characters and an improved capacity for cell growth when a proper amount of CC was incorporated into the SF film scaffolds. The results indicate that a robust scaffold is suitable for CEC transplantation. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]