Biomechanical response to treatment with human decorin core protein in ex-vivo human and porcine corneas

Session Details

Session Title: Cross-Linking

Session Date/Time: Sunday 06/09/2015 | 08:00-09:30

Paper Time: 08:06

Venue: Main Auditorium

First Author: : C.Roberts USA

Co Author(s): :    K. Metzler   A. Mahmoud   J. Liu              

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To investigate changes in corneal biomechanical responses after crosslinking with decorin core protein. Decorin is a small, naturally occurring proteoglycan that bridges collagen fibrils, organizing and stabilizing lamellar collagen architecture.

Setting:

The Ohio State University Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; and Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Methods:

5 human donor pairs (10 eyes) and 5 porcine eye pairs (10 eyes) were used, with one random eye treated (tx) with human decorin core protein (Galacorin), and the untreated fellow eye served as control (c). Epithelium remained intact. Pretreatment, penetration enhancer, and decorin core protein were instilled. Total treatment time was less than 4 minutes per eye. Dynamic Scheimpflug deformation analysis was performed with human eyes at multiple pressure levels. Elastic modulus (E) was calculated using parameters derived from Scheimpflug images. ANOVA was performed. Porcine corneas were investigated using uniaxial tensile testing. Paired t tests were then performed.

Results:

One human eye pair was excluded based on initial pachymetry greater than 850μm. ANOVA of the included 4 pairs demonstrated a significant treatment effect (p < 0.05) in multiple parameters, consistent with stiffening and crosslinking. E demonstrated a significant treatment effect with a higher E in the Tx group. In porcine eye pairs, secant modulus at 4% (tx: 1.65 ± 1.37 MPa; c: 0.61 ± 0.40MPa), 5% (tx: 2.23 ± 1.57 MPa; c: 0.97 ± 0.59MPa) and 6% (tx: 2.87 ± 1.72 MPa; c: 1.49 ± 0.84 MPa) strain was significantly higher in the treated than the untreated corneas (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Treatment with decorin core protein appeared to produce higher modulus and stiffer biomechanical behavior in both human and porcine corneas. It is planned to confirm this result in future studies with a larger sample size.

Financial Interest:

One of the authors receives non-monetary benefits from a company producing, developing or supplying the product or procedure presented., One of the authors travel has been funded, fully or partially, by a company producing, developing or supplying the product or procedure presented