Development of a novel bioartificial cornea using 3D bioprinting based on electrospun micro-nanofibrous decellularized extracellular matrix

Abstract Corneal damage contributes to blindness in millions of people. Simulating natural corneas with artificial corneas is challenging due to material and manufacturing limitations, including poor mechanical properties, complex manufacturing processes, and ocular histocompatibility. In this study, electrospun micro-nanofibrous decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) is combined with digital light processing 3D bioprinting and validated as a bioartificial cornea for the first time. Electrospinning gives the material a controllable shape, and the electrospun micro-nanofibrous dECM, with preserved inherent biochemical components, can better mimic the natural ECM native microenvironment. An efficient platform can be developed for creating novel structural materials, when combined with intelligent manufacturing. Artificial biological corneas developed using this method showed five-fold improvements in mechanical properties (248.5 ± 35.67 kPa vs. 56.91 ± 3.68 kPa, p < 0.001), superior guidance for cell organization and adhesion, and better maintenance of the cellular phenotype of keratocytes. In animal studies, in vivo transplantation of this artificial cornea showed better regeneration, which accelerated corneal epithelialization and maintained corneal transparency. This method has potential for biomedical applications, and bioartificial corneas manufactured by this method have ideal properties as an alternative to lamellar keratoplasty, with promise for clinical transformation.