Chemical, Physical, and Biological Corneal Decellularization Methods: A Review of Literature
Table 1
The summary of chemical corneal decellularization methods discussed in this review.
Chemical decellularization methods
Advantages/disadvantages
Significance for future research
References
Surfactants
SDS
(i) Very efficient in removing cellular structures and genetic material (ii) Can induce immunologic reaction; must be fully washed after decellularization process (iii) Can cause changes in the ECM structure (iv) Transparency can be lower at higher concentration
(i) Effective decellularization method (ii) Less effective than SDS (often used with other methods, mostly nucleases) (iii) Disruptive for collagen fibrils (less than SDS)
(i) Not all studies documented sufficient decellularization of corneal tissue (ii) For an efficient corneal decellularization, must be used in combination with other decellularization methods (iii) Less effective than ionic detergents (SDS and SD) but also less disruptive (iv) Can cause minimal changes in ECM structure
(i) Ineffective for corneal decellularization when used alone (ii) Effective when used with another decellularization method (such as SDS) (iii) Destruction of histoarchitecture of corneal tissue at longer incubation time
(i) Only the use of ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) has been documented for corneal decellularization in the literature (ii) Need to be used with another effective decellularization method
(i) Incomplete cell removal when used alone (ii) Efficient decellularization when combined with another decellularization method (for example, SDS and trypsin)
