A Bioadhesive Functional Peptide-Derived Supramolecular Hydrogel for the Promotion of Corneal Re-Epithelization.

The rapid corneal re-epithelization after injury is crucial for maintaining corneal homeostasis and barrier function. This study reports a bioadhesive functional peptide-derived supramolecular hydrogel (FBA-FFGGRGD) for promoting corneal re-epithelization. The aldehyde-modified bioactive peptide (RGD) endows the hydrogel with bioadhesive properties, enabling covalent anchoring to corneal basement membrane proteins via Schiff base reaction. Compared with its analogue (TA-FFGGRGD), FBA-FFGGRGD significantly enhances adhesion, migration, and proliferation of human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs), doubling cell numbers within 48 h and upregulating zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) expression. In vivo studies show that the hydrogel exhibits excellent ocular biocompatibility, prolongs precorneal retention (∼40 min), and promotes stratified epithelium formation in a rabbit model of corneal injury. By remodeling the epithelial barrier, this bioadhesive hydrogel provides a promising strategy for corneal homeostasis preservation and ocular disorder prevention.