Femtosecond Laser Cutting of Human Crystalline Lens Capsule and Decellularization for Corneal Endothelial Bioengineering

• Published in: Bioengineering (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 3; p. 255
• Main Authors: Ben Moussa, Olfa, Parveau, Louise, Aouimeur, Inès, Egaud, Grégory, Maurin, Corantin, Fraine, Sofiane, Urbaniak, Sébastien, Perrache, Chantal, He, Zhiguo, Xxx, Sedao, Dorado Cortez, Oliver, Poinard, Sylvain, Mauclair, Cyril, Gain, Philippe, Thuret, Gilles
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.03.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Biocompatibility; Bioengineering; Cataracts; Cell culture; Collagen; Cornea; corneal bioengineering; Corneal transplantation; Crystalline lens; decellularization; Endothelial cells; Endothelium; Epithelial cells; Epithelium; Etiology; Eye surgery; femtosecond laser; Grafting; human anterior lens capsule; Laser beam cutting; Lasers; Lenses; Medical prognosis; Methods; Patients; Physiological aspects; Physiology; viable tissue-engineered endothelial keratoplasty; France; human anterior lens capsule; viable tissue-engineered endothelial keratoplasty; decellularization; corneal bioengineering; femtosecond laser
• ISSN: 2306-5354; 2306-5354
• DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11030255

The bioengineering of corneal endothelial grafts consists of seeding in vitro cultured corneal endothelial cells onto a thin, transparent, biocompatible, and sufficiently robust carrier which can withstand surgical manipulations. This is one of the most realistic alternatives to donor corneas, which are in chronic global shortage. The anterior capsule of the crystalline lens has already been identified as one of the best possible carriers, but its challenging manual preparation has limited its use. In this study, we describe a femtosecond laser cutting process of the anterior capsule of whole lenses in order to obtain capsule discs of 8 mm diameter, similar to conventional endothelial grafts. Circular marks made on the periphery of the disc indicate its orientation. Immersion in water for 3 days is sufficient to completely remove the lens epithelial cells and to enable the seeding of corneal endothelial cells, which remain viable after 27 days of culture. Therefore, this method provides a transparent, decellularized disc ready to form viable tissue engineered endothelial grafts.