The vitreous humor is a natural polymeric hydrogel composed of hyaluronic acid, collagen, and 98-99% water. It functions as a viscoelastic damper during eye movements and ensures attachment of the retina to the retinal pigment epithelium. The vitreous gradually liquefies with age, leading to a number of vision-threatening phenomena such as macular holes, retinal detachments, and vitreous hemorrhages. Currently, gases or silicone oil are used as temporary vitreous substitutes during surgery. However, these substitutes require the patients to position themselves facedown for weeks. Additionally, silicone oil is difficult to remove, is toxic to intraocular structures, and is associated with glaucoma and corneal decompensation, which can lead to blindness. In recent years, the use of polymeric hydrogels as longer- term vitreous substitutes has become the focus of research. We have previously designed water-soluble copolymers of poly(acrylamide) that form a hydrogel in situ under physiological conditions. The use of a disulfide crosslinker enables gel reduction and purification before regelation. The polymer formulation has been optimized using statistical experimental design for copolymeric poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels that can form in situ due to the disulfide crosslinker.
展开▼
