A Hybrid Cornea: Cell Laden Hydrogel Incorporated Decellularized Matrix

The decellularization protocols applied on the corneal stromal constructs in the literature usually fail to provide a corneal matrix with sufficient mechanical and optical properties since they alter the extracellular matrix (ECM) microstructure. In this study, to overcome these limitations, a hybrid cornea stromal construct was is engineered by combining gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and decellularized ECM. Photo-crosslinking of impregnated cell laden GelMA in situ using different UV crosslinking energies (3200 μJ/cm2, 6210 μJ/cm2, and 6900 μJ/cm2) and impregnation times (up to 24 hours) within a decellularized bovine cornea enhanced light transmission and restored lost mechanical features following the harsh decellularization protocol. The light transmittance value for optimized hybrid constructs (53.6%) was increased nearly 10 folds compared to that of decellularized cornea (5.84%). Compressive modulus was also restored up to 6 folds with calculated values of 5,040 kPa and 870 kPa for the hybrid and dec...