A novel serum: Electrophoresis method to prepare acellular corneal matrix as an artificial corneal scaffold

The aim of this study was to develop a novel decellularization method in order to obtain an ideal scaffold with good biocompatibility.

The porcine corneas were treated with human serum for 5 days or serum-electrophoresis respectively. The electrophoresis (100 V/cm) was performed in sterilized buffer containing 40-mM tris base, 18-mM glacial acetic acid, and antibiotics for 1 h at 4°C. The properties of artificial corneal scaffolds were characterized by morphological and histological examinations. The biocompatibility and biological safety were examined by subcutaneous implant test and lamellar keratoplasty.

The transparency and appearance of serum-electrophoresis acellular porcine corneal matrix were better than serum acellular porcine corneal matrix. DNA and α-gal in serum-electrophoresis acellular porcine corneal matrix were more efficiently removed than those in serum acellular porcine corneal matrix (p < 0.05). The subcutaneous and corneal implantation experiments showed serum-electrophoresis acellular porcine corneal matrix had better biocompatibility compared to serum acellular porcine corneal matrix (p < 0.01). This novel serum-electrophoresis decellularization method may be valuable for preparation of xenogenic corneal tissue for clinical application.