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Original articles
Laboratory science
In vitro effect of a corrosive hostile ocular surface on candidate biomaterials for keratoprosthesis skirt
  1. Xiao Wei Tan1,
  2. Andri Riau1,
  3. Zhi Long Shi2,
  4. Anna C S Tan3,
  5. Koon Gee Neoh2,
  6. Khiam Aik Khor4,
  7. Roger W Beuerman1,5,6,
  8. Donald Tan2,3,
  9. Jodhbir S Mehta1,3,5,7
  1. 1Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore
  2. 2School of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  3. 3Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore
  4. 4School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  5. 5Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  6. 6Duke-NUS SRP Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Singapore
  7. 7Department of Clinical Sciences, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore
  1. Correspondence to Professor Jodhbir S Mehta, Singapore Eye Research Institute, 11 Third Hospital Drive, Singapore 168751, Singapore; jodmehta{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Aim Keratoprosthesis (KPro) devices are prone to long-term corrosion and microbiological assault. The authors aimed to compare the inflammatory response and material dissolution properties of two candidate KPro skirt materials, hydroxyapatite (HA) and titania (TiO2) in a simulated in vitro cornea inflammation environment.

Methods Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cytokine secretions were evaluated with human corneal fibroblasts on both HA and TiO2. Material specimens were subjected to electrochemical and long-term incubation test with artificial tear fluid (ATF) of various acidities. Topography and surface roughness of material discs were analysed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.

Results There were less cytokines secreted from human corneal fibroblasts seeded on TiO2 substrates as compared with HA. TiO2 was more resistant to the corrosion effect caused by acidic ATF in contrast to HA. Moreover, the elemental composition of TiO2 was more stable than HA after long-term incubation with ATF.

Conclusions TiO2 is more resistant to inflammatory degradation and has a higher corrosion resistance as compared with HA, and in this regard may be a suitable material to replace HA as an osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis skirt. This would reduce resorption rates for KPro surgery.

  • OOKP
  • microbial infection
  • material dissolution
  • artificial tear fluid
  • cornea
  • biochemistry
  • prosthesis
  • microbiology
  • contact lens
  • stem cells
  • lens and zonules
  • treatment surgery
  • epidemiology
  • experimental and animal models
  • ocular surface
  • genetics
  • imaging
  • treatment lasers

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non commercial and is otherwise in compliance with the license. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ and http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjophthalmol-2012-301633

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    Footnotes

    • Additional materials are published online only. To view these files please visit the journal online (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjophthalmol-2012-301633).

    • Funding This work was supported by Singapore Shaw's Foundation.

    • Competing interests None.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.