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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Combination of Microstereolithography and Electrospinning to Produce Membranes Equipped with Niches for Corneal Regeneration
Published on: September 12, 2014
Fabrication and characterization of biodegradable polymeric films as a corneal stroma substitute
Sahar Salehi1, Mohammadhossein Fathi1, Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard2
1Department of Materials Engineering, Biomaterials Research Group, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran.
Background:
Biodegradable elastomeric materials such as poly glycerol sebacate (PGS) have gained much current attention in the field of soft tissue engineering. The present study reports the synthesis of PGS with molar ratios of 1:1, 2:3, and 3:2 of glycerol and sebacic acid via polycondensation reaction and tests the effect of PGS on human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells viability in vitro.
Materials And Methods:
PGS films were prepared by the casting method. We tried to fabricate PGS with different compositions and various properties as being a viable alternative to the corneal stroma in cornea tissue engineering. The chemical properties of the prepared polymer were investigated by means of attenuated total reflectance - Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis and the in vitro cytotoxicity was investigated by the Alamarblue method.
Results:
The functional groups observed in the PGS FTIR spectrums of PGS with various molar ratios were the same. However, the main difference was the time of completing the cross-linking reaction. The PGS prepared by 2:3 ratio as a molar ratio had the fastest and the 3:2 ratio had the lowest cross-linking rate because of the higher amount of sebacic acid. Results of the Alamarblue cytotoxicity test assay showed no deleterious effect on HCE cell viability and proliferation.
Conclusions:
PGS is a potentially good candidate material for corneal tissue engineering because of its lack of in vitro HCE cell toxicity.

