1. Inflammation-suppressing cornea-in-a-syringe with anti-viral GF19 peptide promotes regeneration in HSV-1 infected rabbit corneas
- Author
-
Egidijus Simoliunas, Inés Ruedas-Torres, Yolanda Jiménez-Gómez, Elle Edin, Mozhgan Aghajanzadeh-Kiyaseh, Mostafa Zamani-Roudbaraki, Rimvydas Asoklis, Milda Alksne, Neethi C. Thathapudi, Bijay K. Poudel, Ieva Rinkunaite, Kasparas Asoklis, Monika Iesmantaite, Laura Ortega-Llamas, Almantas Makselis, Marcelo Munoz, Daiva Baltriukiene, Virginija Bukelskiene, Jaime Gómez-Laguna, Miguel González-Andrades, and May Griffith
- Subjects
Medicine - Abstract
Abstract Pathophysiologic inflammation, e.g., from HSV-1 viral infection, can cause tissue destruction resulting in ulceration, perforation, and ultimately blindness. We developed an injectable Cornea-in-a-Syringe (CIS) sealant-filler to treat damaged corneas. CIS comprises linear carboxylated polymers of inflammation-suppressing 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, regeneration-promoting collagen-like peptide, and adhesive collagen-citrate glue. We also incorporated GF19, a modified anti-viral host defense peptide that blocked HSV-1 activity in vitro when released from silica nanoparticles (SiNP-GF19). CIS alone suppressed inflammation when tested in a surgically perforated and HSV-1-infected rabbit corneal model, allowing tissue and nerve regeneration. However, at six months post-operation, only regenerated neocorneas previously treated with CIS with SiNP-GF19 had structural and functional features approaching those of normal healthy corneas and were HSV-1 virus-free. We showed that composite injectable biomaterials can be designed to allow regeneration by modulating inflammation and blocking viral activity in an infected tissue. Future iterations could be optimized for clinical application.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF