Advanced 3D Materials for Corneal Stroma Regeneration: A Preclinical Progress

Abstract

Corneal stromal defects represent a significant global cause of blindness, necessitating innovative therapeutic strategies to address the limitations of conventional treatments, such as corneal transplantation. Tissue engineering, a cornerstone of regenerative medicine, offers a transformative approach by leveraging biomaterial-based solutions to restore damaged tissues. Among these, three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds fabricated using advanced techniques like 3D printing have emerged as a promising platform for corneal regeneration. These scaffolds replicate the native extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture, providing a biomimetic microenvironment that supports cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue integration. This review highlights recent advances in the design and fabrication of 3D scaffolds for corneal stroma engineering (CSE), emphasizing the critical interplay between scaffold architecture, mechanical properties, and bioactive signaling in directing cellular behavior and tissue regeneration. Likewise, we emphasize the diverse range of biomaterials utilized in scaffold fabrication, highlighting their influence on cellular interactions and tissue reconstruction. By elucidating the complex relationship between scaffold design and biologics, this review aims to illuminate the evolution of next-generation strategies for engineering functional corneal tissue. Eventually, this review will provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current state-of-the-art in 3D scaffold-based corneal tissue engineering (CTE), offering insights that could advance progress toward effective vision restoration therapies.

Transparent peer review

To support increased transparency, we offer authors the option to publish the peer review history alongside their article.

View this article’s peer review history

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
14 janv. 2025
Accepted
12 mars 2025
First published
12 mars 2025

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2025, Accepted Manuscript

Advanced 3D Materials for Corneal Stroma Regeneration: A Preclinical Progress

A. Orash Mahmoud Salehi, M. Soleimani, K. S. C. Rios, W. Ortega-Lara and N. Mamidi, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2025, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D5TB00090D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements