Cornell University
Library
Cornell UniversityLibrary

eCommons

Help
Log In(current)
  1. Home
  2. Cornell University Graduate School
  3. Cornell Theses and Dissertations
  4. Surface-Active Synthetic Glycocalyx and Lipid Layer Analogs for the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease

Surface-Active Synthetic Glycocalyx and Lipid Layer Analogs for the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease

File(s)
Koziol_cornellgrad_0058F_13763.pdf (9.61 MB)
Permanent Link(s)
https://doi.org/10.7298/r1qx-0357
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/114673
Collections
Cornell Theses and Dissertations
Author
Koziol, Hania
Abstract

Dry Eye Disease (DED) is one of the most prevalent ophthalmic diseases and caused by an unstable tear film. The tear film is made of three sequential layers: mucin (or glycocalyx), water, and lipid layers listed from innermost to outermost, respectively. When a deficiency in one of these layers is present, it leads to DED. There are several treatment options that currently exist for DED but they do not provide long-lasting relief as they only target one layer of the tear film. Surface tension and viscosity are two mechanical measurements that influence tear film stability as shown by mathematical models. The tear film can be stabilized by reducing the surface tension (targeting the lipid layer) or by increasing the viscosity. The viscosity can be increased by having sugars in solution that crosslink with Galectin-3, a carbohydrate binding protein found naturally in the tear film and is increased in DED patients. A polymer library was synthesized to target multiple layers of the tear film by having a polymer backbone (polyacrylic acid) as well as sugar (lactose) and lipids (C12 and C16) conjugated to the backbone. To increase tear film stability, lactose was used to crosslink with Galectin-3 to increase the viscosity and the lipids were used to decrease the surface tension. The lipids could also bind to the corneal epithelium to stabilize the glycocalyx. This project had three aims. Aim 1 was to synthesize a library of lipo-glycopolymers with changes in lipid type, as well as sugar and lipid density. Aim 2 was to measure the viscosity and surface tension of the polymers to understand how they compare to DED products available. Aim 3 was to analyze the polymer’s efficacy to stabilize a thin film both experimentally as well as theoretically. A novel experiment was created to measure the breakup time and it was also calculated using the viscosity and surface tension values from Aim 2. The polymers had a lower surface tension than commercial solutions and viscosities similar to natural tears. As the calculated breakup time for the polymers increased, so did the experimental breakup time, which was expected.

Description
149 pages
Date Issued
2023-08
Keywords
Dry Eye Disease
•
polymer
•
Tear film
Committee Chair
Putnam, David
Committee Member
Alabi, Christopher
Ledbetter, Eric
Degree Discipline
Biomedical Engineering
Degree Name
Ph. D., Biomedical Engineering
Degree Level
Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Type
dissertation or thesis
Link(s) to Catalog Record
https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/16219538

Site Statistics | Help

About eCommons | Policies | Terms of use | Contact Us

copyright © 2002-2026 Cornell University Library | Privacy | Web Accessibility Assistance