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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
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Minimally-invasive Technique for Injection into Rat Optic Nerve
Published on: May 19, 2015
Multifunctional Catechol-Functionalized Cellulose Hydrogels for the Minimally Invasive Treatment of Acute Optic Nerve
Kai-Hsiang Chang1, Yi-Ke Lin2, Wei-Li Chen2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
|July 21, 2026
Summary
A new injectable hydrogel, CMCDA, offers a minimally invasive treatment for optic nerve injury. It reduces oxidative stress, promotes nerve regeneration, and improves vision after injury.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Retinal ganglion cell degeneration due to oxidative stress is a key issue in optic nerve injury.
- Current treatments face challenges with local retention and require repeated invasive administration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an injectable, bioadhesive, and antioxidative hydrogel platform for treating optic nerve injury.
- To evaluate the therapeutic potential of this novel hydrogel in a preclinical model.
Main Methods:
- Development of a catechol-functionalized carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel (CMCDA) via dopamine grafting and oxidative crosslinking.
- Assessment of CMCDA's physical properties, including injectability, self-healing, adhesion, and biocompatibility.
- In vivo evaluation in an optic nerve crush model, including oxidative stress markers, cell survival, axonal regeneration, and microglial activation analysis.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze the impact of CMCDA on the retinal microenvironment.
- Functional recovery assessment using visual cliff testing and electroretinography.
Main Results:
- CMCDA demonstrated desirable hydrogel properties: shear-thinning injectability, self-healing, wet-tissue adhesion, controlled biodegradability, and biocompatibility.
- In the optic nerve crush model, CMCDA significantly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS), preserved retinal ganglion cells, promoted axonal regeneration, and attenuated microglial activation.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that CMCDA modulated apoptotic, oxidative stress, and inflammatory pathways while supporting phototransduction.
- Improved visual function was observed, confirmed by behavioral and electrophysiological tests.
Conclusions:
- CMCDA is a multifunctional, injectable hydrogel platform for minimally invasive treatment of optic nerve injury.
- The hydrogel provides antioxidative neuroprotection, promotes axonal repair, and facilitates functional recovery.
- This cellulose-based hydrogel shows significant therapeutic promise for conditions involving oxidative stress and neuronal damage.
