As the main component of the natural cornea, collagen (COL) has been widely applied to the construction of corneal repair materials. However, the applications of collagen are limited due to its poor mechanical properties. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) possess excellent mechanical properties, optical transparency and good biocompatibility. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to introduce cellulose nanocrystals into collagen-based films to obtain corneal repair materials with a high strength. CNCs were incorporated at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 wt%. The physical properties of these composite films were characterized, and in vitro cell-based analyses were also performed. The COL/CNC films possessed better mechanic properties, and the introduction of CNCs did not affect the water content and light transmittance. The COL/CNC films demonstrated good biocompatibility toward rabbit corneal epithelial cells and keratocytes in vitro. Moreover, the collagen films with appropriate ration of CNCs effectively induced the migration of corneal epithelial cells and inhibited the myofibroblast differentiation of keratocytes. A collagen film with 7 wt% CNCs displayed the best combination of physical properties and biological performance in vitro among all the films. This study describes a nonchemical cross-linking method to enhance the mechanical properties of collagen for use in corneal repair materials and highlights potential application in corneal tissue engineering.

作为天然角膜的主要成分，胶原蛋白（COL）已被广泛应用于角膜修复材料的构建。但是，由于其较差的机械性能，其应用受到限制。纤维素纳米晶体（CNC）具有出色的机械性能，光学透明性和良好的生物相容性。因此，在本研究中，我们试图将纤维素纳米晶体引入基于胶原的膜中以获得具有高强度的角膜修复材料。CNC的加入量为1、3、5、7和10 wt％。表征了这些复合膜的物理性质，并且还进行了基于细胞的体外分析。COL / CNC薄膜具有更好的机械性能，并且引入CNC并没有影响水含量和透光率。在体外，COL / CNC膜对兔角膜上皮细胞和角膜细胞具有良好的生物相容性。此外，具有适当比例的CNCs的胶原膜可有效诱导角膜上皮细胞迁移，并抑制角膜细胞的成肌纤维细胞分化。在所有薄膜中，具有7 wt％CNCs的胶原膜在体外显示出最佳的物理性能和生物学性能组合。这项研究描述了一种非化学交联方法，可增强用于角膜修复材料的胶原的机械性能，并着重介绍了在角膜组织工程中的潜在应用。适量的CNCs胶原蛋白膜能有效地诱导角膜上皮细胞迁移，抑制角膜上皮细胞的成纤维细胞分化。在所有薄膜中，具有7 wt％CNCs的胶原膜在体外显示出最佳的物理性能和生物学性能组合。这项研究描述了一种非化学交联方法，可增强用于角膜修复材料的胶原的机械性能，并着重介绍了在角膜组织工程中的潜在应用。适量的CNCs胶原蛋白膜能有效诱导角膜上皮细胞迁移，抑制角膜上皮细胞的成纤维细胞分化。具有7 wt％CNCs的胶原膜在所有膜中均显示出最佳的体外物理性能和生物学性能组合。这项研究描述了一种非化学交联方法，可增强用于角膜修复材料的胶原的机械性能，并着重介绍了在角膜组织工程中的潜在应用。