Hydrophilic, Porous, Fiber-Reinforced Collagen-Based Membrane for Corneal Repair.

Collagen membrane with outstanding biocompatibility exhibits immense potential in the field of corneal repair and reconstruction, but the poor mechanical properties limit its clinical application. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polymer that has been widely explored for application in corneal reconstruction due to its excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, easy processability, and flexibility. In this study, a PCL/collagen composite membrane with reinforced mechanical properties has been developed. The membrane has a strong composite structure with collagen by utilizing a porous and hydrophilic PCL scaffold, maintaining its integrity even after immersion. The suture retention and mechanical tests demonstrate that compared with the pure collagen membrane, the prepared membrane has a greater tensile strength and twice the modulus of elasticity. Further, the suture retention strength is improved by almost two times. In addition, the membrane remains fully intact on the implant bed in an in vitro corneal defect model. Moreover, the membrane could be tightly sutured to a rabbit corneal defect, progressively achieved epithelialization, and remained unchanged during observation. Overall, the PCL/collagen composite membrane is a promising candidate as a suturable corneal restoration material in clinical keratoplasty. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.