Transparent sodium alginate blended polyvinyl alcohol hybrid casting film for corneal stromal regeneration Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • Creating a transparent substitute with high water permeability, appropriate transparency, and mechanical properties similar to those of the cornea while promoting optimal cell-scaffold interactions is a significant challenge in corneal stromal regeneration (CSR). This study aimed to develop a suitable alternative by producing transparent, thin hybrid casting films (HCFs) through engineering, achieved by blending sodium alginate (SA) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using the solvent casting method (SCM). The fabricated HCFs were comprehensively analyzed for their physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties through assessments of transparency, mechanical strength, contact angle, water uptake, gel fraction, aqueous degradation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and cytotoxicity assays. Mechanical assessments demonstrated that the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation at break values are approximately 15.07 megapascals (MPa) and 8.98 %, respectively. Light transparency measurements revealed that combining PVA and SA can enhance transparency by almost 91.42 %, with water absorption improving by nearly 353 %. The gel fraction of the optimized film was found to be 90.13 %, indicating a stable crosslinked network with good resistance to aqueous dissolution. The cytotoxicity test results suggest that the films exhibit biocompatibility similar to other HFCs, making them suitable for further investigation into cell interactions. These results indicate that SA-blended PVA film may be an appropriate candidate for CSR applications. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

publication date

  • July 1, 2025