Al Monla Reem, Daien Vincent, Michon Frederic
Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier, INSERM, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Department of Ophthalmology, Gui de Chauliac Hospital, Montpellier, France.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024 Nov 13;12:1480772. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1480772. eCollection 2024.
The cornea acts as the eye foremost protective layer and is essential for its focusing power. Corneal blindness may arise from physical trauma or conditions like dystrophies, keratitis, keratoconus, or ulceration. While conventional treatments involve medical therapies and donor allografts-sometimes supplemented with keratoprostheses-these options are not suitable for all corneal defects. Consequently, the development of bioartificial corneal tissue has emerged as a critical research area, aiming to address the global shortage of human cornea donors. Bioengineered corneas hold considerable promise as substitutes, with the potential to replace either specific layers or the entire thickness of damaged corneas. This review first delves into the structural anatomy of the human cornea, identifying key attributes necessary for successful corneal tissue bioengineering. It then examines various corneal pathologies, current treatments, and their limitations. Finally, the review outlines the primary approaches in corneal tissue engineering, exploring cell-free, cell-based, and scaffold-based options as three emerging strategies to address corneal failure.
角膜是眼睛最主要的保护层，对眼睛的聚焦能力至关重要。角膜盲可能由身体创伤或诸如营养不良、角膜炎、圆锥角膜或溃疡等病症引起。虽然传统治疗方法包括药物治疗和异体移植（有时辅以角膜移植术），但这些选择并不适用于所有角膜缺陷。因此，生物人工角膜组织的开发已成为一个关键研究领域，旨在解决全球人类角膜供体短缺的问题。生物工程角膜作为替代品具有很大的前景，有可能替代受损角膜的特定层或整个厚度。本综述首先深入探讨人类角膜的结构解剖，确定成功进行角膜组织生物工程所需的关键特性。然后研究各种角膜病变、当前的治疗方法及其局限性。最后，综述概述了角膜组织工程的主要方法，探讨了无细胞、基于细胞和基于支架的选择，作为解决角膜衰竭的三种新兴策略。
