Suture-Free Corneal Transplantation via Bioself-Adhesive Lenticules Based on Macromolecular Electrostatic Entanglement

This work presents a suture-free corneal transplantation method using bioself-adhesive corneal lenticules based on macromolecular electrostatic entanglement. Oxidized chondroitin sulfate (O–CS) containing negatively charged –SO3− groups was combined with positively charged generation 4.0 polyamidoamine dendrimers (G4 PAMAM) to form a cohesive, transparent, and drug-releasing corneal transplant module. The resulting lenticule exhibited strong self-adhesion (33.80 ± 2.12 kPa), high optical transmittance (>70%), and excellent cytocompatibility. Furthermore, sustained puerarin release from G4 PAMAM inhibited postoperative inflammation, demonstrating that macromolecular electrostatic entanglement offers a safe, suture-free approach for deep corneal repair and long-term graft stability.