Corneal stromal extracellular matrix (Corneal stromal ECM)

The corneal stromal extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly organized structural framework that constitutes approximately 90% of the corneal thickness [1, 13]. It is primarily composed of precisely arranged Type I collagen fibrils interspersed with specific proteoglycans like keratocan and lumican, which are essential for maintaining corneal transparency and refractive power [8, 11, 12]. In diseases such as keratoconus, the ECM undergoes biomechanical weakening and thinning, while in corneal injury, disorganized ECM deposition leads to scarring and vision loss [4, 10, 13]. Therapeutic interventions often target the ECM to restore its structural integrity or prevent pathological remodeling [5, 10]. For instance, riboflavin-mediated collagen cross-linking is a standard treatment to stiffen the matrix in ectatic diseases [10, 18]. Additionally, regenerative medicine approaches utilize decellularized ECM or synthetic scaffolds to promote healthy tissue reconstruction, and pharmacological agents like TGF-beta inhibitors are explored to modulate the fibrotic response during wound healing [4, 17].

Other names

Corneal stroma ECMCorneal extracellular matrixStromal matrix

Photo-oxidative cross-linking of collagen fibrils to increase biomechanical stability; inhibition of TGF-beta signaling to prevent myofibroblast differentiation and disorganized matrix deposition; inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases to prevent ECM degradation; structural replacement via bioengineered scaffolds.