Removal of Chromium and Arsenic from Water Using Polyol-Functionalized Porous Aromatic Frameworks.

Chromium and arsenic are two of the most problematic water pollutants due to their high toxicity and prevalence in various water streams. While adsorption and ion-exchange processes have been applied for the efficient removal of numerous toxic contaminants, including heavy metals, from water, these technologies display relatively low overall performances and stabilities for the remediation of chromium and arsenic oxyanions. This work presents the use of polyol-functionalized porous aromatic framework (PAF) adsorbent materials that use chelation, ion-exchange, redox activity, and hydrogen-bonding interactions for the highly selective capture of chromium and arsenic from water. The chromium and arsenic binding mechanisms within these materials are probed using an array of characterization techniques, including X-ray absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. Adsorption studies reveal that the functionalized porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs) achieve selective, near-instantaneous (reaching equilibrium capacity within 10 s), and high-capacity (2.5 mmol/g) binding performances owing to their targeted chemistries, high porosities, and high functional group loadings. Cycling tests further demonstrate that the top-performing PAF material can be recycled using mild acid and base washes without any measurable performance loss over at least ten adsorption-desorption cycles. Finally, we establish chemical design principles enabling the selective removal of chromium, arsenic, and boron from water. To achieve this, we show that PAFs appended with analogous binding groups exhibit differences in adsorption behavior, revealing the importance of binding group length and chemical identity.

Adverse neonatal outcome associated with maternal tuberculosis in a public tertiary centre: a retrospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate a group of infants born to women with tuberculosis (TB) during pregnancy to determine the neonatal morbidities and its outcomes associated with tuberculosis in pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from January 2007 to December 2021 was collected for analysis as part of a retrospective cohort study. This study was conducted in a tertiary public hospital in Malaysia, Hospital Sultan Idris Shah (HSIS). Cases were identified from the hospital's bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination notification forms and merged with records from the neonatal intensive care unit's census. Controls were infants born to mothers unaffected by TB within the same hospital and year as the index case (1:4 ratio). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyse the data. The main outcome measures were the risk of congenital tuberculosis, premature birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age and low APGAR score. RESULTS: Data from January 2007 to December 2021 was collected for analysis as part of a retrospective cohort study. This study was conducted in a tertiary public hospital in Malaysia, Hospital Sultan Idris Shah (HSIS). Cases were identified from the hospital's bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination notification forms and merged with records from the neonatal intensive care unit's census. Controls were infants born to mothers unaffected by TB within the same hospital and year as the index case (1:4 ratio). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyse the data. The main outcome measures were the risk of congenital tuberculosis, premature birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age and low APGAR score.

Extending the diatom's color palette: non-iridescent, disorder-mediated coloration in marine diatom-inspired nanomembranes.

The intricate, siliceous exoskeleton of many marine diatoms (single-celled phytoplankton) is decorated with an array of sub-micron, quasi-ordered pores that are known to provide protective and multiple life-sustaining functions. However, the optical functionality of any given diatom valve is limited because valve geometry, composition, and ordering are genetically programmed. Nonetheless, the near- and sub-wavelength features of diatom valves provide inspiration for novel photonic surfaces and devices. Herein, we explore the optical design space for optical transmission, reflection, and scattering in diatom-like structures by computationally deconstructing the diatom frustule, assigning and nondimensionalizing Fano-resonant behavior with configurations of increasing refractive index contrast (Δn), and gauging the effects of structural disorder on the resulting optical response. Translational pore disorder, especially in higher-index materials, was found to evolve Fano resonances from near-unity reflection and transmission to modally confined, angle-independent scattering, which is key to non-iridescent coloration in the visible wavelength range. High-index, frustule-like TiO2 nanomembranes were then designed to maximize backscattering intensity and fabricated using colloidal lithography. These synthetic diatom surfaces showed saturated, non-iridescent coloration across the visible spectrum. Overall, this diatom-inspired platform could be useful in designing tailored, functional, and nanostructured surfaces for applications in optics, heterogeneous catalysis, sensing, and optoelectronics.

Triple-action of the standardized antidiabetic polyherbal extract; Synacinn™ through upregulation of GLUT4 and inhibition of DPP(IV), α-amylase, and α-glucosidase activity.

INTRODUCTION: Synacinn™ is a standardized polyherbal supplement for diabetes mellitus which is formulated from Andrographis paniculata, Curcuma xanthorrhiza, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Eugenia polyantha, and Orthosiphon stamineous. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study aimed to elucidate the antidiabetic potential of Synacinn™ on three specific actions, including 1) the insulin sensitivity and glucose transport on dexamethasone-induced insulin-resistance 3T3-L1 adipocytes, 2) the inhibitory capacity on postprandial enzyme activity (α-amylase and α-glucosidase), and 3) the inhibitory activity of hepatic DPP(IV) enzyme. RESULTS: Results showed that insulin resistance of 3T3-L1 adipocytes may be developed by prolonging the exposure of 1µg/ml of dexamethasone for >48 hours. The insulinresistance condition was minimized by the treatment of 10 µg/ml of Synacinn™ which significantly improved the insulin-stimulated glucose utilization by 10.6%. Meanwhile, insulin-stimulated glucose utilization in normal adipocytes was also attenuated by 9.2%. At the cellular level, Synacinn™ attenuated glucose utilization mainly by upregulating GLUT4 protein expression by 1.71 fold. Additionally, Synacinn™ is a potent inhibitor for the activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase with IC50 of 0.467 mg/mL and 0.245 mg/mL, respectively. Synacinn™ also controlled the glycemic index through inhibition of hepatic DPP(IV) enzyme with IC50 of 1.11 mg/mL. CONCLUSION: Results suggested that Synacinn™ reduced diabetes mellitus through sensitizing the cellular glucose utilization, reducing the postprandial carbohydrate degradation, and inhibiting the hepatic DPP(IV) enzyme function.

Color-changing refractive index sensor based on Fano-resonant filtering of optical modes in a porous dielectric Fabry-Pérot microcavity.

Refractometry is a ubiquitous technique for process control and substance identification in the chemical and biomedical fields. Herein, we present an all-dielectric, wafer-scalable, and compact Fabry-Pérot microcavity (FPMC) device for refractive index (RI) sensing. The FPMC consists of a highly porous SiO2 microcavity capped with a thin, quasi-periodically patterned TiO2 hole array partial reflector that enables rapid, nanoliter-scale analyte transport to and from the sensor. Liquid (alcohols) or condensed-vapor (water from human breath) infiltration resulted in spectral redshifts up to 100 nm, highly apparent visible color change, rapid recovery (< 20 s), and RI sensitivity of up to 680 nm/RIU. The sensor can also be used in spectral or single-wavelength detection modes. Effective-medium and finite-difference time-domain optical simulations identified that Fano-resonant scattering modes induced by the quasi-periodic TiO2 outcoupling layer effectively filter higher-order Fabry-Pérot cavity modes and thereby confer an easily identifiable red-to-green color transition during analyte infiltration.

In vitro protective effects of an aqueous extract of Clitoria ternatea L. flower against hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity and UV-induced mtDNA damage in human keratinocytes.

The traditional practice of eating the flowers of Clitoria ternatea L. or drinking their infusion as herbal tea in some of the Asian countries is believed to promote a younger skin complexion and defend against skin aging. This study was conducted to investigate the protective effect of C. ternatea flower water extract (CTW) against hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity and ultraviolet (UV)-induced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage in human keratinocytes. The protective effect against hydrogen peroxide-induced cytotoxicity was determined by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium assay, and mtDNA damage induced by UV was determined by polymerase chain reaction. Preincubation of HaCaT with 100, 250, and 500 µg/ml CTW reduced cytotoxicity effects of H2 O2 compared with control (H2 O2 alone). CTW also significantly reduced mtDNA damage in UV-exposed HaCaT (p < .05). CTW was chemically-characterized using high resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main compounds detected were assigned as anthocyanins derived from delphinidin, including polyacylated ternatins, and flavonol glycosides derived from quercetin and kaempferol. These results demonstrated the protective effects of C. ternatea flower extracts that contain polyacylated anthocyanins and flavonol glycosides as major constituents, against H2 O2 and UV-induced oxidative stress on skin cells, and may provide some explanation for the putative traditional and cosmetic uses of C. ternatea flower against skin aging.

Severe asymptomatic hypophosphataemia in a child with T-acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Hypophosphataemia is a metabolic disorder that is commonly encountered in critically ill patients. Phosphate has many roles in physiological functions, thus the depletion of serum phosphate could lead to impairment in multiple organ systems, which include the respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and muscular systems and haematological and metabolic functions. Hypophosphataemia is defined as plasma phosphate level below 0.80 mmol per litre (mmol/L) and can be further divided into subgroups of mild (plasma phosphate of 0.66 to 0.79 mmol/L), moderate (plasma phosphate of 0.32 to 0.65 mmol/L) and severe (plasma phosphate of less than 0.32 mmol/L). The causes of hypophosphataemia include inadequate phosphate intake, decreased intestinal absorption, gastrointestinal or renal phosphate loss, and redistribution of phosphate into cells. Symptomatic hypophosphataemia associated with haematological malignancies has been reported infrequently. We report here a case of asymptomatic severe hypophosphataemia in a child with acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukaemia. A 14-year-old Chinese boy was diagnosed to have acute T cell lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). His serum biochemistry results were normal except inorganic phosphate and lactate dehydrogenase levels. The serum inorganic phosphate level was 0.1mmol/L and the level was low on repeated analysis. The child had no symptoms related to low phosphate levels. The possible causes of low phosphate were ruled out and urine Tmp/GFR was normal. Chemotherapy regime was started and the serum phosphate levels started to increase. Hypophosphataemia in leukaemia was attributed to shift of phosphorus into leukemic cells and excessive cellular phosphate consumption by rapidly proliferating cells. Several reports of symptomatic hypophosphataemia in myelogenous and lymphoblastic leukaemia in adults have been reported. To our knowledge this is the first case of severe asymptomatic hypophosphataemia in a child with ALL.

Glutathione S-transferase Mu-1 gene polymorphism in Egyptian patients with idiopathic male infertility.

The aim of this study was to examine whether an association exists between glutathione S-transferase Mu-1 (GSTM1) gene polymorphism and idiopathic male infertility. Sixty men with primary idiopathic infertility and 60 fertile men, serving as controls, were recruited for the study. The polymorphism was analysed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. The frequency of GSTM1 null genotype was observed to be higher in infertile men 40% in comparison with 33.3% in the fertile men, but this difference was not statistically significant. There was statistically significant difference between cases and controls as regards GSTM1 genotype distribution ((MC) P = 0.006*) in GSTM1-positive men. Patients with the GSTM1 null genotype had significantly lower sperm concentrations and total sperm count when compared with patients with GSTM1-positive genotype. In the control group, men with GSTM1 null genotype had significantly lower sperm concentrations but not total sperm count when compared with men with GSTM1-positive genotype. The results of this study suggest a possible negative effect of GSTM1 null genotype on the spermatogenic potential of the testis.

An economic feasibility assessment of implementing photovoltaic module reflectors under Malaysian meteorological conditions.

The use of a reflector can increase the solar radiation on the photovoltaic module (PV) surface, whereby the energy output can be improved. However, the economic feasibility may need to be considered too. This study is conducted, for the first time, due to the lack of studies regarding the economic feasibility assessment of implementing reflectors under the Malaysian meteorological conditions. The outcome will give information about the suitability for implementing a PV reflector in Malaysia through an experimental setup at a sewage treatment site, for two months in 2022. The Malaysian meteorological data, which include daily solar radiation, ambient temperature and wind velocity, were collected to study the output energy, efficiency and the economic perspective of a PV. In February 2022, the PV was operating without a reflector and the averaged values for the monthly solar radiation, ambient temperature and wind velocity were 539.9 MJ/m2, 28.4 °C and 2.2 m/s, respectively, which resulted in an output energy of 106.43 kWh. On the other hand, for April 2022, the PV was operating with a reflector. With the respective averaged input parameters 544.98 MJ/m2, 28.9 °C and 1.51 m/s, the output energy was 121.94 kWh. It is thus shown that the PV with a reflector increases the PV's output energy by 14.57%. Also, it is shown that the cost-effective factor value is 0.955 which means that the PV reflector is economically feasible to be implemented under the Malaysian meteorological conditions. Hence, extensive research should be conducted to improve the performance of PV reflectors. The findings of this paper maybe useful for researchers and/or manufacturers of PV reflectors.

Study of the gut microbiome in Egyptian patients with active ulcerative colitis.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by chronic, uncontrolled inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. Gut microbiota dysbiosis was reported to be a factor in intestinal inflammation. The aim of the present study was to study changes in the gut microbiome in Egyptian patients with active UC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the gut bacterial microbiome of 21 UC patients and 20 control subjects was analyzed using the quantitative SYBR Green real-time PCR technique, targeting the 16S rRNA gene of selected bacterial phyla/genera and/or species. RESULTS: UC patients showed marked dysbiosis evidenced by a significant decrease in the Firmicutes and F. prausnitzii anti-inflammatory bacteria. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was also lower in the UC cases (1.65), compared with the healthy controls (2.93). In addition, the UC cases showed a statistically significant decrease in Ruminococcus, compared with the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between UC patients and the controls, regarding A. muciniphila, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, and Prevotella. One UC case was positive for the pathogenic bacterium, Clostridioides difficile, with low relative abundance. CONCLUSION: The current study showed differences in the gut microbiome of UC patients, compared with healthy controls. This may help in identifying the gut microbiome and specific bacterial changes that can be targeted for treatment of UC.

Outcome of Intra-articular Injection of Total Stromal Cells and Platelet-Rich Plasma in Primary Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION:  Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy appeared promising in knee osteoarthritis (OA). We examined if a single intra-articular (IA) autologous total stromal cells (TSC) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection improved knee pain, physical function, and articular cartilage thickness in knee OA. METHODS:  The study was performed in the physical medicine and rehabilitation department of Bangabandhu Shaikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Knee OA was diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria and randomly assigned to treatment (received TSC and PRP) and control groups. Kallgreen-Lawrance (KL) scoring system was used to grade primary knee OA. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS, 0-10 cm) for pain, WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index) for physical function, and medial femoral condylar cartilage (MFC) thickness (millimeters) under ultrasonogram (US) were documented and compared between groups before and after treatment. Statistical Package analyzed data for Social Scientists (SPSS 22.0; IBM Corp, Armonk, NY) was used for data analysis. Pre- and post-intervention outcomes were measured using the Wilcoxon-sign test, whereas Mann-Whitney U-test calculated the difference between groups; a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.  Result: In the treatment group, 15 received IA-TSC and PRP preparation, and in the control group, 15 patients received no injection, but quadricep muscle-strengthening exercise. There was no significant difference between groups regarding VAS for pain, WOMAC physical function, and cartilage thickness before starting the treatment and two weeks after intervention. VAS for pain and WOMAC physical function scores improved profoundly in the treatment group after 12 and 24 weeks of intervention; the pain and physical function scores difference between groups was also significant. However, significant mean femoral cartilage thickness was not changed until the end of 24 weeks (U=175.00, p=0.009 two-tailed and U= 130.00, p=0.016 two-tailed, respectively, for right and left knee). CONCLUSION:  Single TSC and PRP injection reduces knee pain and improves physical function and cartilage thickness in knee OA. While pain and physical function improvement happen earlier, cartilage thickness change takes more time.

Steroids from Diplazium esculentum: Antiplasmodial activity and molecular docking studies to investigate their binding modes.

Diplazium esculentum is an edible fern commonly consumed by the local community in Malaysia either as food or medicine. Isolation work on the ethyl acetate extract of the stem of D. esculentum resulted in the purification of two steroids, subsequently identified as stigmasterol (compound 1) and ergosterol5,8-endoperoxide (compound 2). Upon further testing, compound 2 displayed strong inhibitory activity against the Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 (chloroquine-sensitive) strain, with an IC50 of 4.27±1.15 µM, while compound 1 was inactive. In silico data revealed that compound 2 showed good binding affinity to P. falciparum-Sarco endoplasmic reticulum calcium-dependent ATPase (PfATP6); however, compound 1 did not show an antiplasmodial effect due to the lack of a peroxide moiety in the chemical structure. Our data suggested that the antiplasmodial activity of compound 2 from D. esculentum might be due to the inhibition of PfATP6, which resulted in both in vitro and in silico inhibitory properties.

Clinical, laboratory and genetic assessment of patients with congenital bilateral absent vas deferens.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of Δ-F508 mutation and 5T allele in a sample of Egyptian patients having congenital bilateral absent vas deferens (CBAVD), to correlate between genotype and phenotypic genital pattern, and to demonstrate the value of micro-assisted reproduction in them. The study included thirty patients with CBAVD and 30 fertile controls. Clinical, laboratory and radiological examinations of the patients were performed. Genetic assessment of patients and controls as regards Δ-F508 mutation and 5T allele was done. Trials of testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were carried out for the patients. Δ-F508 mutation was present in 40% and 5T allele was detected in 46.6% of the patients. On the other hand, all the control group was negative as regards Δ-F508 mutation, while 5T allele was detected in 10% of them. The total fertilisation rate was 75% and pregnancy rate was 60% with no significant difference in fertilisation and pregnancy rates between cases positive for Δ-F508 or 5T allele and others. It is evident that Δ-F508 mutation and 5T allele play important roles in the pathogenesis of CBAVD in Egyptians. TESE/ICSI is a beneficial method to enable these patients to father children of their own.

ANFIS-based approach for the estimation of transverse mixing coefficient.

Understanding of the fate of pollutants, disposed of in streams, is a matter of concern in recent years for the effective control of pollution. Transverse mixing of the pollutants in open channels is arguably more important than the longitudinal mixing and near-field mixing. Several attempts have been made to establish the relationship between the transverse mixing coefficient and bulk channel and flow parameters such as width, depth, shear velocity, friction factor, curvature and sinuosity. This paper presents adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) approach to predict the transverse mixing coefficient in open channel flows. Available laboratory and field data for the transverse mixing coefficients covering wide range of channel and flow conditions are used for the development and testing of the proposed method. The proposed ANFIS approach produces satisfactory results (R(2)=0.945) compared to the artificial neural network (ANN) model and existing predictors for mixing coefficient.

Integrated Assessment of Nickel Electroplating Industrial Wastewater Effluent as a Renewable Resource of Irrigation Water Using a Hydroponic Cultivation System.

Nickel, a micronutrient essential for plant growth and development, has been recognized as a metallic pollutant in wastewater. The concentration of nickel ions in the water course, exceeding the maximum tolerable limit, has called for an alarming attention, due to the bioaccumulative entry in the water-plant-human food chain, leaving a burden of deteriorative effects on visible characteristics, physiological processes, and oxidative stress response in plants. In this work, the renewable utilization of nickel electroplating industrial wastewater effluent (0, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100%) as a viable source of irrigation water was evaluated using a hydroponic cultivation system, by adopting Lablab purpureus and Brassica chinensis as the plant models, in relation to the physical growth, physiological and morphological characteristics, photosynthetic pigments, proline, and oxidative responses. The elongation of roots and shoots in L. purpureus and B. chinensis was significantly inhibited beyond 25 and 5% of industrial wastewater. The chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid contents, accompanied by alterations in the morphologies of xylem, phloem, and distortion of stomata, were recorded in the industrial wastewater-irrigated groups, with pronounced toxicity effects detected in B. chinensis. Excessive proline accumulation was recorded in the treated plant models. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) scavenging activities were drastically altered, with a profound upregulation effect in the POD activity in L. purpureus and both POD and APX in B. chinensis, predicting the nickel-induced oxidative stress. Conclusively, the diluted industrial wastewater effluent up to the optimum concentrations of 5 and 25%, respectively, could be feasibly reused as a renewable resource for B. chinensis and L. purpureus irrigation, verified by the minimal or negligible phytotoxic implications in the plant models. The current findings have shed light on the interruption of nickel-contaminated industrial wastewater effluent irrigation practice on the physical and biochemical features of food crops and highlighted the possibility of nutrient recycling via wastewater reuse in a sustainable soilless cultivation.

Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 alleviates stress and anxiety in adults: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Probiotics have been reported to exert beneficial effects along the gut-brain axis. This randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled human study aimed to evaluate such properties of Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 and its accompanying mechanisms in stressed adults. One hundred and eleven (n=111; DR7 n=56, placebo n=55) stressed adults were recruited based on moderate stress levels using the PSS-10 questionnaire. The consumption of DR7 (1×109 cfu/day) for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of stress (P=0.024), anxiety (P=0.001), and total psychological scores (P=0.022) as early as 8 weeks among stressed adults compared to the placebo group as assessed by the DASS-42 questionnaire. Plasma cortisol level was reduced among DR7 subjects as compared to the placebo, accompanied by reduced plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-γ and transforming growth factor-α and increased plasma anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 10 (P<0.05). DR7 better improved cognitive and memory functions in normal adults (>30 years old), such as basic attention, emotional cognition, and associate learning (P<0.05), as compared to the placebo and young adults (<30 years old). The administration of DR7 enhanced the serotonin pathway, as observed by lowered expressions of plasma dopamine ß-hydroxylase (DBH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase accompanied by increased expressions of tryptophan hydroxylase-2 and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor-6, while stabilising the dopamine pathway as observed via stabilised expressions of TH and DBH over 12 weeks as compared to the placebo (P<0.05). Our results indicated that DR7 fulfil the requirement of a probiotic strain as per recommendation of FAO/WHO and could be applicable as a natural strategy to improve psychological functions, cognitive health and memory in stressed adults.

Safety of Cultivated Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Transplantation for Human Corneal Regeneration.

Ex vivo cultivated limbal stem cell transplantation is a promising technique for the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency. While the results of the clinical trials have been extensively reported since the introduction of the technique in 1997, little has been reported regarding the potential health risks associated with production processes and transplantation techniques. Culture procedures require the use of animal and/or human-derived products, which carry the potential of introducing toxic or infectious agents through contamination with known or unknown additives. Protocols vary widely, and the risks depend on the local institutional methods. Good manufacturing practice and xeno-free culture protocols could reduce potential health risks but are not yet a common practice worldwide. In this review, we focus on the safety of both autologous- and allogeneic-cultivated limbal stem cell transplantation, with respect to culture processes, surgical approaches, and postoperative strategies.

Biocompatibility of a fish scale-derived artificial cornea: Cytotoxicity, cellular adhesion and phenotype, and in vivo immunogenicity.

PURPOSE: To determine whether a fish scale-derived collagen matrix (FSCM) meets the basic criteria to serve as an artificial cornea, as determined with in vitro and in vivo tests. METHODS: Primary corneal epithelial and stromal cells were obtained from human donor corneas and used to examine the (in)direct cytotoxicity effects of the scaffold. Cytotoxicity was assessed by an MTT assay, while cellular proliferation, corneal cell phenotype and adhesion markers were assessed using an EdU-assay and immunofluorescence. For in vivo-testing, FSCMs were implanted subcutaneously in rats. Ologen(®) Collagen Matrices were used as controls. A second implant was implanted as an immunological challenge. The FSCM was implanted in a corneal pocket of seven New Zealand White rabbits, and compared to sham surgery. RESULTS: The FSCM was used as a scaffold to grow corneal epithelial and stromal cells, and displayed no cytotoxicity to these cells. Corneal epithelial cells displayed their normal phenotypical markers (CK3/12 and E-cadherin), as well as cell-matrix adhesion molecules: integrin-α6 and ß4, laminin 332, and hemi-desmosomes. Corneal stromal cells similarly expressed adhesion molecules (integrin-α6 and ß1). A subcutaneous implant of the FSCM in rats did not induce inflammation or sensitization; the response was comparable to the response against the Ologen(®) Collagen Matrix. Implantation of the FSCM in a corneal stromal pocket in rabbits led to a transparent cornea, healthy epithelium, and, on histology, hardly any infiltrating immune cells. CONCLUSION: The FSCM allows excellent cell growth, is not immunogenic and is well-tolerated in the cornea, and thus meets the basic criteria to serve as a scaffold to reconstitute the cornea.