Assessing the in vitro cell based ocular compatibility of contact lens materials

Study of silicone hydrogel contact lenses' surface reflection characteristics using confocal microscopy

The physical and chemical properties of contact lenses (CLs) differ significantly from one another. This is already covered by the FDA classification, which divides soft lenses into groups and subgroups for additional characteristics. The differences relate to both the interior and surface of the lens. Several differences in the surface characteristics of individual contact lenses have been studied and demonstrated to date. However, one of their fundamental physical properties, that is light reflection or, quantitatively, reflectance has not been compared. This paper describes the surface differences of a range of silicone-hydrogel (SiHy) lenses using reflectance confocal microscopy. It shows the relationship between the amount of light reflected from the lens surface and the material parameters. Common SiHy lens materials were used in the study, including two lenses with surface modifications. Light incident at the interface between two media (phosphate-buffered saline and lens) with different refractive indices is partially reflected. The normalized results show significant differences between the reflection signals (1 vs 0.07), and that they are not correlated with the refractive index (R2 = 0.5536). For the water content (%H2O), a general trend was observed that the higher the %H2O, the lower the reflection signal is (R2 = 0.8105). The reflection signal and surface modulus show the best correlation. (R2 = 0.9883). The proposed CLs analysis method, using reflectance confocal microscopy, provides data to differentiate between lenses with and without surface modifications.

Antifouling Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses with a Bioinspired 2-Methacryloyloxyethyl Phosphorylcholine Polymer Surface

Inspired by the cell membrane surface as well as the ocular tissue, a novel and clinically applicable antifouling silicone hydrogel contact lens material was developed. The unique chemical and biological features on the surface on a silicone hydrogel base substrate were achieved by a cross-linked polymer layer composed of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), which was considered important for optimal on-eye performance. The effects of the polymer layer on adsorption of biomolecules, such as lipid and proteins, and adhesion of cells and bacteria were evaluated and compared with several conventional silicone hydrogel contact lens materials. The MPC polymer layer provided significant resistance to lipid deposition as visually demonstrated by the three-dimensional confocal images of whole contact lenses. Also, fibroblast cell adhesion was decreased to a 1% level compared with that on the conventional silicone hydrogel contact lenses. The movement of the cells on the surface of the MPC polymer-modified lens material was greater compared with other silicone hydrogel contact lenses indicating that lubrication of the contact lenses on ocular tissue might be improved. The superior hydrophilic nature of the MPC polymer layer provides improved surface properties compared to the underlying silicone hydrogel base substrate.

Imprinted hydrogels with LbL coating for dual drug release from soft contact lenses materials

A combined strategy to control the release of two drugs, one anti-inflammatory (diclofenac sodium, DCF) and one antibiotic (moxifloxacin hydrochloride, MXF), from a soft contact lens (SCL) material, was assessed. The material was a silicone-based hydrogel, which was modified by molecular imprinting with MXF and coated by the layer-by-layer (LbL) method using natural polyelectrolytes: alginate (ALG), poly-l-lysine (PLL) and hyaluronate (HA), crosslinked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Imprinting was used to increase the amount of MXF loaded and to sustain its release, while the LbL coating acted as a diffusion barrier for DCF and improved the surface properties. The drugs were loaded by soaking in a DCF + MXF dual solution. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was successfully applied in the sterilization of the drug-loaded hydrogels. The transmittance, refractive index, wettability and ionic permeability of the hydrogels remained within the required levels for SCLs application. The concentrations of the released DCF and MXF stayed above the IC₅₀ and the MIC (for S. aureus and S. epidermidis) values, for 9 and 10 days, respectively. No ocular irritancy was detected by the HET-CAM test. NIH/3T3 cell viability demonstrated that the drug-loaded hydrogels were not toxic, and cell adhesion was reduced.

Biocompatibility of Nanocellulose-Reinforced PVA Hydrogel with Human Corneal Epithelial Cells for Ophthalmic Applications

Transparent composite hydrogel in the form of a contact lens made from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) was subjected to in vitro biocompatibility evaluation with human corneal epithelial cells (HCE-2 cells). The cell response to direct contact with the hydrogels was investigated by placing the samples on top of confluent cell layers and evaluating cell viability, morphology, and cell layer integrity subsequent to 24 h culture and removal of the hydrogels. To further characterize the lens-cell interactions, HCE-2 cells were seeded on the hydrogels, with and without simulated tear fluid (STF) pre-conditioning, and cell viability and morphology were evaluated. Furthermore, protein adsorption on the hydrogel surface was investigated by incubating the materials with STF, followed by protein elution and quantification. The hydrogel material was found to have affinity towards protein adsorption, most probably due to the interactions between the positively charged lysozyme and the negatively charged CNCs embedded in the PVA matrix. The direct contact experiment demonstrated that the physical presence of the lenses did not affect corneal epithelial cell monolayers in terms of integrity nor cell metabolic activity. Moreover, it was found that viable corneal cells adhered to the hydrogel, showing the typical morphology of epithelial cells and that such response was not influenced by the STF pre-conditioning of the hydrogel surface. The results of the study confirm that PVA-CNC hydrogel is a promising ophthalmic biomaterial, motivating future in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility studies.

Synthesis of biocompatible sterically-stabilized poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine) latexes via dispersion polymerization in alcohol/water mixtures

Poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) is soluble in either 2-propanol or water but becomes insoluble in certain alcohol-rich 2-propanol/water mixtures. We have exploited this unusual cononsolvency behavior in order to prepare new biocompatible sterically stabilized PMPC latexes via nonaqueous dispersion polymerization in 2-propanol/water mixtures. All polymerizations were conducted in the presence of monomethoxy-capped poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) as a reactive stabilizer, with some formulations including ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a cross-linker. Under optimized conditions, unimodal size distributions could be obtained with a mean latex diameter of approximately 1 microm, as judged by laser diffraction and DLS. The mean latex diameter depended on both the PEGMA and initiator concentration but was almost independent of the cross-linking density. Smaller PMPC latexes were obtained by increasing the alcohol content of the dispersion medium. On dilution with water, these latexes acquired microgel character. The microgel solution viscosity was insensitive to added salt due to the so-called "antipolyelectrolyte" effect, which is characteristic of polyzwitterions. Finally, copolymerization of MPC with a fluorescein-based methacrylic comonomer produced fluorescently labeled PMPC latexes, which may have potential biomedical applications.

Qualitative and quantitative characterization of thein vitro dehydration process of hydrogel contact lenses

PURPOSE

To investigate the in vitro dehydration process of conventional hydrogel and silicone-hydrogel contact lens materials.

METHODS

Eight conventional hydrogel and five silicone-hydrogel contact lenses were dehydrated under controlled environmental conditions on an analytical balance. Data were taken at 1-min intervals and dehydration curves of cumulative dehydration (CD), valid dehydration (VD), and dehydration rate (DR) were obtained. Several quantitative descriptors of the dehydration process were obtained by further processing of the information.

RESULTS

Duration of phase I (r(2) = 0.921), CD at end of phase I (r(2) = 0.971), time to achieve a DR of -1%/min (r(2) = 0.946) were strongly correlated with equilibrium water content (EWC) of the materials. For each individual sample, the VD at different time intervals can be accurately determined using a 2nd order regression equation (r(2) > 0.99 for all samples). The first 5 min of the dehydration process show a relatively uniform average CD of about -1.5%/min. After that, there was a trend towards higher average CD for the following 15 min as the EWC of the material increases (r(2) = 0.701). As a consequence, average VD for the first 5 min displayed a negative correlation with EWC (r(2) = 0.835), and a trend towards uniformization among CL materials for the following periods (r(2) = 0.014). Overall, silicone-hydrogel materials display a lower dehydration, but this seems to be primarily due to their lower EWC.

CONCLUSIONS

DR curves under the conditions of the present study can be described as a three-phase process. Phase I consists of a relatively uniform DR with a duration that ranges from 10 to almost 60 min and is strongly correlated with the EWC of the polymer as it is the CD during this phase. Overall, HEMA-based hydrogels dehydrate to a greater extent and faster than silicone-hydrogel materials. There are differences in water retention between lenses of similar water content and thickness that should be further investigated.

Bacterial adhesion to phosphorylcholine-based polymers with varying cationic charge and the effect of heparin pre-adsorption

The steady increase in the use of medical implants and the associated rise of medical device infections has fuelled the need for the production of biomaterials with improved biocompatibility. 2-(methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (MPC) based coatings have been used to improve the biocompatibility of a number of different medical devices. Recent studies have investigated the use of a phosphorylcholine modified with cationic charge to encourage specific bio-interaction. Until now the affect of cationic charge incorporation in MPC copolymers on bacterial adhesion has not been investigated. This study attempts to address this by investigating the affect of charge on four different strains of bacteria commonly associated with medical device infections. In addition, the affect of pre-incubating these MPC-copolymers in heparin is also evaluated as this has previously been shown to improve biocompatibility and reduce bacterial adhesion. Bacterial adhesion was assessed by ATP bioluminescence and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Results suggest that bacterial adhesion generally increased with increasing cationic charge. When samples were however, pre-incubated with heparin a significant reduction in bacterial adhesion to the MPC-based samples was observed. The heparin remained bound and effective at reducing bacterial adhesion to the cationic MPC-based samples even after three weeks incubation in PBS. To conclude, the MPC-based cationic polymer coatings complexed with heparin may provide a promising solution to reduce medical device related infections.

Novel biocompatible phosphorylcholine-based self-assembled nanoparticles for drug delivery

Major challenges associated with nano-sized drug delivery systems include removal from systemic circulation by phagocytic cells and controlling appropriate drug release at target sites. 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) has been copolymerised in turn with two pH responsive comonomers (2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEA) and 2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DPA), to develop novel biocompatible drug delivery vehicles. Micelles were prepared from a series of copolymers with varying block compositions and their colloidal stability and dimensions were assessed over a range of solution pH using photon correlation spectroscopy. The drug loading capacities of these micelles were evaluated using Orange OT dye as a model compound. The cytotoxicity of the micelles was assessed using an in vitro assay. The MPC-DEA diblock copolymers formed micelles at around pH 8 and longer DEA block lengths allowed higher drug loadings. However, these micelles were not stable at physiological pH. In contrast, MPC-DPA diblock copolymers formed micelles of circa 30 nm diameter at physiological pH. In vitro assays indicated that these MPC-DPA diblock copolymers had negligible cytotoxicities. Thus novel non-toxic biocompatible micelles of appropriate size and good colloidal stability with pH-modulated drug uptake and release can be readily produced using MPC-DPA diblock copolymers.

Biological responses to cationically charged phosphorylcholine-based materials in vitro

Phosphorylcholine (PC)-based polymers have been used in a variety of medical device applications to improve biocompatibility. The use of PC-based materials for biomaterials is associated with low protein adsorption, reduced complement activation, low inflammatory response and cell adhesion. For some medical device applications however, materials that support cell adhesion are also beneficial, allowing host interaction and encouraging full incorporation within the body. As previous studies have suggested that cell adhesion to materials is enhanced by the addition of charge, PC-based polymers have therefore been modified to incorporate various concentrations of cationic charge. In this study, the affect of cationic charge on a range of biological responses was investigated. In vitro assays have been used to assess the adsorption of protein onto the materials surface, the adhesion of mouse fibroblasts and rabbit corneal epithelial cells and the adhesion of human mononuclear cells and granulocytes. The results corroborate previous work showing that PC without charge significantly reduces protein adsorption, cell adhesion and inflammatory cell activation. The addition of cationic charge to PC polymers however, resulted in an increase in all of the above responses. This increase did not however, increase linearly with cationic monomer concentration. The differences in cell adhesion are discussed in terms of differences in protein adsorption, cytotoxicity and/or stability of the different cationic polymer coatings.

A comparison of the use of an ATP-based bioluminescent assay and image analysis for the assessment of bacterial adhesion to standard HEMA and biomimetic soft contact lenses

The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro adhesion of clinically relevant bacteria to standard HEMA and novel biomimetic soft contact lenses (SCL) using bioluminescent ATP assay and image analysis. Unworn SCL were incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis or Serratia marcescens suspended in sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The level of bacterial adhesion after 1, 2, 4, 6 and 18h, was assessed using both image analysis and a bioluminescent ATP assay. Species differences in the overall level of adhesion to the different types of lens were observed using both measurement techniques. Generally bacterial adhesion was shown to peak at 4-6 h, then decline to a much lower level by 18 h. After 4 h, adhesion of all species of bacteria to the biomimetic SCL (omafilcon A) was found to be significantly lower than to the standard HEMA SCL (polymacon) (p<0.05. Student's t-test, n = 4). Both these techniques demonstrated that novel biomimetic SCL materials exhibit significantly lower bacterial adhesion in vitro compared to standard HEMA SCL materials. SCL manufactured with these novel biomimetic materials may reduce the risk of infection.