ABSTRACT
Introduction: Corneal disease is a leading cause of blindness globally that stems from various etiologies. High-throughput platforms that can generate substantial quantities of corneal grafts will be invaluable in addressing the existing global demand for keratoplasty. Slaughterhouses generate substantial quantities of underutilized biological waste that can be repurposed to reduce current environmentally unfriendly practices. Such efforts to support sustainability can simultaneously drive the development of bioartificial keratoprostheses. Methods: Scores of discarded eyes from the prominent Arabian sheep breeds in our surrounding region of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were repurposed to generate native and acellular corneal keratoprostheses. Acellular corneal scaffolds were created using a whole-eye immersion/agitation-based decellularization technique with a widely available, eco-friendly, and inexpensive 4% zwitterionic biosurfactant solution (Ecover, Malle, Belgium). Conventional approaches like DNA quantification, ECM fibril organization, scaffold dimensions, ocular transparency and transmittance, surface tension measurements, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to examine corneal scaffold composition. Results: Using this high-throughput system, we effectively removed over 95% of the native DNA from native corneas while retaining the innate microarchitecture that supported substantial light transmission (over 70%) after reversing opacity, a well-established hallmark of decellularization and long-term native corneal storage, with glycerol. FTIR data revealed the absence of spectral peaks in the frequency range 2849 cm-1 to 3075 cm-1, indicating the effective removal of the residual biosurfactant post-decellularization. Surface tension studies confirmed the FTIR data by capturing the surfactant's progressive and effectual removal through tension measurements ranging from approximately 35 mN/m for the 4% decellularizing agent to 70 mN/m for elutes highlighting the effective removal of the detergent. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first dataset to be generated outlining a platform that can produce dozens of ovine acellular corneal scaffolds that effectively preserve ocular transparency, transmittance, and ECM components using an eco-friendly surfactant. Analogously, decellularization technologies can support corneal regeneration with attributes comparable to native xenografts. Thus, this study presents a simplified, inexpensive, and scalable high-throughput corneal xenograft platform to support tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and circular economic sustainability.
ABSTRACT
Over the last years, the replacement of traditional polymer modifiers with waste plastics has attracted increasing interest. The implementation of such technology would allow a drastic reduction of both production cost and landfill disposal of wastes. Among all, polyethylene-based plastics have been proved suitable for this purpose. The research activities presented in this paper aim to assess the synergistic effect of polyethylene and Fischer-Tropsch waxes on the viscoelastic properties and performance of the bitumen. In order to reduce the blending time, waxes, and polyethylene need to be added simultaneously. In fact, the presence of the waxes reduces the polarity of the bitumen matrix and increases the affinity with the polymer promoting its dispersion. Results demonstrate that the chain length of the waxes, the form of the added waste polyethylene, and the blending protocol have critical effects on the time-evolution of such properties. Short-chain waxes have a detrimental impact on the rutting resistance regardless of the blending protocol. On the contrary, long-chain waxes improve the overall behavior of the polyethylene-modified binders and, in particular, the resistance to permanent deformations.
