Maillard Reaction Crosslinked Alginate-Albumin Scaffolds for Enhanced Fenofibrate Delivery to the Retina: A Promising Strategy to Treat RPE-Related Dysfunction

There are limited treatments currently available for retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Cell-based therapy holds great promise in treating these degenerative diseases. Three-dimensional (3D) polymeric scaffolds have gained attention for tissue restoration by mimicking the native extracellular matrix (ECM). The scaffolds can deliver therapeutic agents to the retina, potentially overcoming current treatment limitations and minimizing secondary complications. In the present study, 3D scaffolds made up of alginate and bovine serum albumin (BSA) containing fenofibrate (FNB) were prepared by freeze-drying technique. The incorporation of BSA enhanced the scaffold porosity due to its foamability, and the Maillard reaction increased crosslinking degree between ALG with BSA resulting in a robust scaffold with thicker pore walls with a compression modulus of 13.08 KPa suitable for retinal regeneration. Compared with ALG and ALG-BSA physical mixture scaffolds, ALG-BSA conjugated scaffolds had higher FNB loading capacity, slower release of FNB in the simulated vitreous humour and less swelling in water and buffers, and better cell viability and distribution when tested with ARPE-19 cells. These results suggest that ALG-BSA MR conjugate scaffolds may be a promising option for implantable scaffolds for drug delivery and retinal disease treatment.