Corneal blindness is a significant cause of visual loss worldwide and its treatment poses substantial clinical and scientific challenges. Various strategies have been investigated to repair or regenerate damaged corneal tissue. In this study, a scaffold for epithelial cell growth and proliferation was developed using different ratios of silk fibroin (SF) and fish vitreous humor (VH), two natural biocompatible biomaterials. Hydrogels of pure SF, SF/VH (9:1), and SF/VH (1:1) were cross-linked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and then characterized by infrared spectroscopy, optical transparency, swelling behavior, degradation profile, mechanical properties, and in vitro cell studies. Spectrophotometric analysis showed that scaffolds with higher SF content exhibited superior transparency and light transmission. Increasing the SF content also enhanced mechanical strength while reducing both swelling and degradation rates. Higher VH content improved elasticity and promoted cell adhesion, proliferation, and overall viability. Among the tested formulations, the SF/VH (9:1) hydrogel demonstrated the best balance of physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties, indicating its strong potential as a scaffold for regenerating corneal epithelial tissue.

Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Experimental Procedure
    2.1. Scaffold preparation
    2.2. Characterization
    2.3. Cell studies
3. Results and Discussion
4. Conclusion
Acknowledgement
References
Author Information

• Aynaz Sharifian(Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Branch, Tonekabon 4684161167, Iran)
• Esmaeil Biazar(Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Branch, Tonekabon 4684161167, Iran) Corresponding author
• Javad Esmaeili(Department of Applied Sciences, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi QC G7H 2B1, Canada)
• Reza Zeinali(Group of Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona 08222, Spain)
• Saeed Heidari Keshel(Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1983969411, Iran, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, United Kingdom)
• Soheil Shokri(Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Rasht 4147654919, Iran)
• Azam Rahimi(Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1983969411, Iran)
• Davood Zaeifi(Department of Medical Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 9177948564, Iran)