Fabrication and Characterisation of Hydrogels with Reversible Wrinkled Surfaces for Limbal Study and Reconstruction

In the biomedical field, there is a demand for the development of novel approaches for the investigation of optical epithelial anatomical features with biomimetic materials. These materials are not only required to replicate structures but also enable dynamic modelling for disease states such as limbal stem cell deficiency and ageing. In the present study, the effective generation of reversible wrinkled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates was undertaken to mimic the undulating anatomy of the limbal epithelial stem cell niche. This undulating surface pattern was formed through a dual treatment with acid oxidation and plasma using an innovatively designed stretching frame. This system enabled the PDMS substrate to undergo deformation and relaxation, creating a reversible and tuneable wrinkle pattern with cell culture applications. The crypt-like pattern exhibited a width of 70–130 µm and a depth of 17–40 µm, resembling the topography of a limbal epithelial stem cell niche, which is characterised by an undulating anatomy. The cytocompatibility of the patterned substrate was markedly improved using a gelatin methacrylate polymer (GelMa) coating. It was also observed that these wrinkled PDMS surfaces were able to dictate cell growth patterns, showing alignment in motile cells and colony segregation in colony-forming cells when using human and porcine limbal cells, respectively.