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Electrospun Aloe Vera Extract Loaded Polycaprolactone Scaffold for Biomedical Applications: A Promising Candidate for Corneal Stromal Regeneration

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Abstract

Corneal diseases, the second leading cause of global vision loss affecting over 10.5 million people, underscores the unmet demand for corneal tissue replacements. Given the scarcity of fresh donor corneas and the associated risks of immune rejection, corneal tissue engineering becomes imperative. Developing nanofibrous scaffolds that mimic the natural corneal structure is crucial for creating transparent and mechanically robust corneal equivalents in tissue engineering. Herein, Aloe Vera Extract (AVE)/Polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous scaffolds were primed using electrospinning. The electrospun AVE/PCL fibers exhibit a smooth, bead-free morphology with a mean diameter of approximately 340 ± 95 nm and appropriate light transparency. Mechanical measurements reveal Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength values of around 3.34 MPa and 4.58 MPa, respectively, within the range of stromal tissue. In addition, cell viability of AVE/PCL fibers was measured against Human Stromal Keratocyte Cells (HSKCs), and improved cell viability was observed. The cell-fiber interactions were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. In conclusion, the incorporation of Aloe Vera Extract enhances the mechanical, optical, hydrophilic, and biological properties of PCL fibers, positioning PCL/AVE fiber scaffolds as promising candidates for corneal stromal regeneration.

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Data Availability

The raw data from this study are not publicly available. All data will be securely stored and can be made available for verification upon request. For inquiries, please contact Narsimha Mamidi at narsimhachem06@gmail.com.

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Acknowledgements

All the authors are grateful to Tecnologico de Monterrey, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, and the University of South Florida.

Funding

This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) and Tecnológico de Monterrey. A.O.M.S acknowledges funding received by CONACYT in the form of a Graduate Studies Scholarship. Dr. Narsimha Mamidi acknowledges WiscNano, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Nanotechnology, School of Engineering and Science, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, Mexico

    Amin Orash Mahmoud Salehi

  2. Biosensor Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, 81746-73461, Iran

    Mohammad Rafienia

  3. Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, USA

    Narsimha Mamidi

  4. Medical Nanotechnology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 19857-17443, Iran

    Saeed Heidari Keshel

  5. Department of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmic Research Center, Labbafinejad Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 19395-4631, Iran

    Alireza Baradaran-Rafii

  6. Department of Ophthalmology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Alireza Baradaran-Rafii

  7. Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Science, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 19857-17443, Iran

    Saeed Heidari Keshel

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  1. Amin Orash Mahmoud Salehi
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  2. Mohammad Rafienia
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Contributions

A.O.M.S.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing, Original Draft, Validation, Review & Editing. S.H.K.: Conceptualization, Validation, Writing, Review & Editing. M.R.: Conceptualization, Writing, Review & Editing. N.M.: Conceptualization, Validation, Supervision, Writing, Review & Editing. A.B-R.: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing, Review & Editing.

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Correspondence to Mohammad Rafienia, Narsimha Mamidi or Saeed Heidari Keshel.

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Salehi, A.O.M., Rafienia, M., Mamidi, N. et al. Electrospun Aloe Vera Extract Loaded Polycaprolactone Scaffold for Biomedical Applications: A Promising Candidate for Corneal Stromal Regeneration. J Bionic Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42235-024-00520-8

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