{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T18:56:48Z","timestamp":1782413808118,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,13]],"date-time":"2023-06-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1686614400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"CROATIAN SCIENCE FOUNDATION","award":["IP-2016-06-6878"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IP-2016-06-6878"]}]},{"name":"CROATIAN SCIENCE FOUNDATION","award":["TP20-23"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TP20-23"]}]},{"name":"University of Zagreb Faculty of Textile Technology","award":["IP-2016-06-6878"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IP-2016-06-6878"]}]},{"name":"University of Zagreb Faculty of Textile Technology","award":["TP20-23"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TP20-23"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Since only few reported studies propose anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) delivery through electrospun scaffolds, this study greatly contributes to the potential prevention of patient\u2019s vision loss, as it explores electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) coated with anti-VEGF for the blockage of abnormal cornea vascularization. In terms of physicochemical properties, the biological component increased the PCL scaffold fiber diameter (by ~24%) and pore area (by ~82%), while ut slightly reduced its total porosity as the anti-VEGF solution filled the voids of the microfibrous structure. The addition of the anti-VEGF increased the scaffold stiffness almost three-fold at both strains of 5 and 10%, as well as its biodegradation rate (~36% after 60 days) with a sustained release profile after Day 4 of phosphate buffered saline incubation. In terms of scaffold application function, the PCL\/Anti-VEGF scaffold proved to be more favorable for the adhesion of cultured limbal stem cells (LSCs); this was confirmed by the SEM images, where the cells showed flat and elongated conformations. Further support of the LSC growth and proliferation was confirmed by the identified p63 and CK3 markers after cell staining. These results demonstrate the advantageous effect of the surface-adsorbed anti-VEGF to stop vision loss and help damaged corneal tissue repair.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym15122663","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,14]],"date-time":"2023-06-14T01:32:15Z","timestamp":1686706335000},"page":"2663","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["The Reliability of PCL\/Anti-VEGF Electrospun Scaffolds to Support Limbal Stem Cells for Corneal Repair"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Emilija","family":"Zdraveva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Textile Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8510-7576","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tamara","family":"Dolenec","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Transfusion and Regenerative Medicine, Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Center, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mirna","family":"Tominac Trcin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Institute of Immunology, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0421-8264","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emi","family":"Govor\u010din Bajsi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2973-2200","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tamara","family":"Holjevac Grguri\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Catholic University of Croatia, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8293-1225","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antoneta","family":"Tomljenovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Textile Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iva","family":"Dekaris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Bili\u0107 Vision Polyclinic, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Josip","family":"Jeli\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Textile Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Budimir","family":"Mijovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Textile Technology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Zachary, J.F. 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