Use of femtosecond laser generated reactive oxygen species to manage inflammation and enhance wound healing after ocular trauma.

Abstract

Eye injuries are a prevalent global health concern, with millions of cases annually resulting in blindness and vision impairment. Injuries to the cornea, the transparent outer layers of the eye, may lead to scar-driven fibrosis that decreases visual clarity and light refraction to the retina. Traditional wound healing therapies have shown limited success in achieving scar-free wound recovery due to the complex nature of the corneal wound healing process, which involves multiple stages regulated by cytokines and growth factors. In this study, we have utilized rabbit models to investigate whether femtosecond laser-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) can enhance the wound healing process. A low-power femtosecond laser induced ROS-producing low-density plasma in the injured rabbit cornea, aiming to mitigate inflammation and avoid scar formation. Ultrafast laser-generated low-density plasma ionizes and dissociates interstitial water in the corneal stroma, resulting in ROS production in the absence of tissue-damaging shock and thermoacoustic waves, thus allowing for precise treatment delivery. The proposed treatment has enhanced the wound healing process for corneal abrasion through binding affinity modulation of post-trauma released cytokines. Further experiments on isolated cytokines and their receptors validated ROS' ability to modulate molecular interactions.