Cell spray printing combined with Lycium barbarum glycopeptide promotes repair of corneal epithelial injury

Mengyuan Xie; Meizhong Liao; Sihui Chen; Deliang Zhu; Qiaolang Zeng; Peiyuan Wang; Caiying Su; Ruiling Lian; Jiansu Chen; Jun Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.exer.2024.109928

Cell spray printing combined with Lycium barbarum glycopeptide promotes repair of corneal epithelial injury

Exp Eye Res. 2024 May 13:244:109928. doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2024.109928. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Mengyuan Xie¹, Meizhong Liao¹, Sihui Chen², Deliang Zhu³, Qiaolang Zeng⁴, Peiyuan Wang⁵, Caiying Su⁶, Ruiling Lian⁷, Jiansu Chen⁸, Jun Zhang⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Optoelectronic Engineering, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
² Ophthalmology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
³ Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine Affiliated Haikou Hospital, Haikou, 570000, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, 510623, China.
⁶ Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518036, China.
⁷ Aier Eye Institute, Changsha, Hunan, 410015, China.
⁸ Ophthalmology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Aier Eye Institute, Changsha, Hunan, 410015, China; Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China. Electronic address: chenjiansu2000@163.com.
⁹ Department of Optoelectronic Engineering, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center on Visible Light Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China. Electronic address: tzhangjun_oe@jnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38750781
DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2024.109928

Abstract

The corneal epithelium, located as the outermost layer of the cornea, is inherently susceptible to injuries that may lead to corneal opacities and compromise visual acuity. Rapid restoration of corneal epithelial injury is crucial for maintaining the transparency and integrity of the cornea. Cell spray treatment emerges as an innovative and effective approach in the field of regenerative medicine. In our study, a cell spray printing platform was established, and the optimal printing parameters were determined to be a printing air pressure of 5 PSI (34.47 kPa) and a liquid flow rate of 30 ml/h. Under these conditions, the viability and phenotype of spray-printed corneal epithelial cells were preserved. Moreover, Lycium barbarum glycopeptide (LBGP), a glycoprotein purified from wolfberry, enhanced proliferation while simultaneously inhibiting apoptosis of the spray-printed corneal epithelial cells. We found that the combination of cell spray printing and LBGP facilitated the rapid construction of multilayered cell sheets on flat and curved collagen membranes in vitro. Furthermore, the combined cell spray printing and LBGP accelerated the recovery of the rat corneal epithelium in the mechanical injury model. Our findings offer a therapeutic avenue for addressing corneal epithelial injuries and regeneration.

Keywords: Cell spray; Corneal epithelial injury repair; Lycium barbarum glycopeptide (LBGP).