AUTHOR=Wang Mengyuan , Liu Kaibin , Wang Xiaomin , Shang Zhen , Liu Yiming , Pan Nailong , Sun Xueqing , Xu Wenhua 

TITLE=Limbal stem cells carried by a four-dimensional -printed chitosan-based scaffold for corneal epithelium injury in diabetic rabbits

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2024.1285850

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2024.1285850

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Methods:</bold> Herein, we obtained and characterized deltaN p63- and adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette subfamily G member 2-expressing limbal stem cells (LSCs). Chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan (CTH) were cross-linked to be an in situ thermosensitive hydrogel (ACH), which was printed through four-dimensional (4D) printing to obtain a porous carrier with uniform pore diameter (4D-CTH). Rabbits were injected with alloxan to induce diabetes mellitus (DM). Following this, the LSC-carrying hydrogel was spread on the surface of the cornea of the diabetic rabbits to cure corneal epithelium injury.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Compared with the control group (LSCs only), rapid wound healing was observed in rabbits treated with LSC-carrying 4D-CTH. Furthermore, the test group also showed better corneal nerve repair ability. The results indicated the potential of LSC-carrying 4D-CTH in curing corneal epithelium injury.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> 4D-CTH holds potential as a useful tool for studying regenerative processes occurring during the treatment of various diabetic corneal epithelium pathologies with the use of stem cell-based technologies.</p>