A hybrid hydrogel for enhanced ocular surface interaction and ROS clearance in dry eye disease management during general anesthesia

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common chronic ocular disorder leading to corneal epithelial cell injury and death during general anesthesia. Recent studies have focused on reactive oxygen species (ROS) clearance, but existing strategies lack the ability to prolong drug retention time and addressing both corneal epithelial cell protection and ROS clearance synergistically. Hydrogels have emerged as a promising approach. However, the application of tannic acid (TA) and Ce4⁺ in hydrogels for DED treatment remains underexplored. This study proposes a smart hydrogel based on gelatin, TA and Ce4⁺, forming a cross-linked network with dynamic covalent bonds. The hydrogel exhibited >90% ROS clearance efficiency, ~95% human corneal epithelial cell viability after 24 h of co-culture, and ~90% intracellular ROS clearance under oxidative stress. These results indicate that the Gel10-TA@Ce hydrogel effectively prevents oxidative damage while maintaining excellent cytocompatibility, addressing the limitations of current dry eye disease treatments.