Osteo-odonto-keratoprostheses, incorporating dental laminate material as an anchoring skirt around a central poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) optic, have been used to replace the cornea for many years. However, there are many intricacies associated with the use of autologous dental laminate material, surgical complexity and skirt erosion. Tissue engineering approaches to bone replacement may offer suitable alternatives in osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP) surgery. In this study, a hydrogel polymer composite was investigated as a synthetic substitute for the OOKP skirt. A novel high strength interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogel composite with nano-crystalline hydroxyapatite (nHAp) coated poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) PLGA microspheres was created to mimic the alveo-dental lamina by employing agarose and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) polymers. The incorporation of nHAp coated PLGA microspheres into the hybrid IPN network provide a micro-environment similar to that of skeletal tissues and improve cellular response. Agarose was used as a first network to encapsulate keratocytes/3T3 fibroblasts and PEGDA (6000 Da) was used as a second network with varying concentrations (20 and 40 wt %) to produce a strong and biocompatible scaffold. An increased concentration of either agarose or PEG-DA and incorporation of nHAp coated PLGA microspheres led to an increase in the elastic modulus. The IPN hydrogel combinations supported the adhesion and proliferation of both fibroblast and ocular human keratocyte cell types during in in-vitro testing. The cells endured the encapsulation process into the IPN and remained viable at 1 week post-encapsulation in the presence of nHAp coated microspheres. The material did not induce significant production of inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in comparison to a positive control (p < 0.05) indicating non-inflammatory potential. The nHAp encapsulated composite IPN hydrogels are mechanically strong, cell supportive, non-inflammatory materials supporting their development as OOKP skirt substitutes using a new approach to dental laminate biomimicry in the OOKP skirt material.

骨 - 牙 - 角膜假体，结合牙科层压材料作为围绕中央聚（甲基丙烯酸甲酯）（PMMA）光学元件的锚定裙，已用于替换角膜多年。然而，与使用自体牙科层压材料、手术复杂性和裙部侵蚀相关的许多复杂问题。骨替代的组织工程方法可能为骨-牙-人工角膜 (OOKP) 手术提供合适的替代方案。在这项研究中，研究了一种水凝胶聚合物复合材料作为 OOKP 裙的合成替代品。一种新型高强度互穿网络 (IPN) 水凝胶复合材料具有纳米结晶羟基磷灰石 (nHAp) 涂层的聚 (乳酸-共-乙醇酸) PLGA 微球, 通过使用琼脂糖和聚 (乙二醇) 二丙烯酸酯来模拟牙槽板(PEGDA) 聚合物。将 nHAp 涂层 PLGA 微球结合到混合 IPN 网络中，可提供类似于骨骼组织的微环境并改善细胞反应。琼脂糖用作包裹角质细胞/3T3 成纤维细胞的第一个网络，PEGDA (6000 Da) 用作具有不同浓度（20 和 40 wt%）的第二个网络，以产生坚固且生物相容的支架。琼脂糖或 PEG-DA 浓度的增加和 nHAp 涂层 PLGA 微球的掺入导致弹性模量增加。体外测试。细胞经受了封装入 IPN 的过程，并在封装后 1 周在 nHAp 包被微球的存在下保持活力。 与表明非炎症潜力的阳性对照 ( p < 0.05)相比，该材料不诱导炎症细胞因子 IL-6 的显着产生。nHAp 封装的复合 IPN 水凝胶是机械强度高、细胞支持、非炎症材料，支持其作为 OOKP 裙边替代品的发展，在 OOKP 裙边材料中使用牙科层压仿生学的新方法。