Cell-laden and orthogonal-multilayer tissue-engineered corneal stroma induced by a mechanical collagen microenvironment and transplantation in a rabbit model

Abstract

The development of functional therapies for corneal repair and regeneration is a pressing issue. Corneal stroma provides the principal functions of the cornea. Here, we have developed a protocol for the efficient generation of a cell-laden and orthogonal-multilayer tissue-engineered (TE) corneal stroma, which is induced by the mechanical effects of compressed collagen (CC) or stretched compressed collagen (SCC). These models facilitate the construction of physiological feature TE corneal stroma, which serves as a foundation for physiological TE construction of other tissues and helps to reverse fibrosis pathologies in general.