A Simple, Safe, and Effective Method for Preparing Autologous Bio-Based Fibrin Glue for Ophthalmic Use

Abstract

This study proposes a method to prepare autologous bio-based fibrin glue (FG) for use in ophthalmic surgery. FGs containing three fibrinogen concentrations and a thrombin concentrate were prepared using human blood from five donors (FG1: physiological fibrinogen concentration; FG2 and FG3: concentrated fibrinogen). The adhesion strength was tested, and the clinical safety and efficacy were studied in rabbit eyes in conjunctival surgery. A commercial FG was used as a control. From each donor, 2 mL of FG was prepared, containing 1 mL of 3.49 ± 0.78 (FG1), 17.74 ± 4.66 (FG2), or 47.46 ± 9.36 mg/mL (FG3) of fibrinogen and 1 mL of 2248.12 ± 604.20 UI/mL of thrombin. The average adhesion strength increased with the fibrinogen concentration, from 1.49 ± 0.39 kPa (FG1) to 3.14 ± 1.09 kPa (FG3). FG1 showed poor results when used for autograft adhesion. In contrast, the conjunctival autografts were successfully grafted using FG2 and FG3, revealing equivalent adhesion properties compared with commercial FG, but with less inflammation. In conclusion, FGs could be prepared on demand within minutes from small volumes of human blood, using a method that results in FGs which exhibit good adhesion capacity and are also safe and effective in a preclinical study.