Biodegradable in Situ Gelling Hydrogels Containing Hollow Nanoparticles as New Antiglaucoma Formulations

Eye drops are frequently used to administer medication for antiglaucoma treatment. However, the main challenges with this type of dosage form include short precorneal residence time, poor corneal penetration, and low ocular bioavailability. Hence, over the past few years, there has been an increased interest in the development of environmentally sensitive drug delivery systems for glaucoma therapy. Despite the aforementioned animal studies reporting varying degrees of success in controlling the drug release behavior, the sustained intraocular pressure lowering effect of antiglaucoma agents from in situ gelling eye drops is limited (usually vanishes within 24 h following administration). Recently, we reported that the combination of the biodegradable features with the temperature-sensitive features of the polymers will permit efficient intraocular delivery of therapeutics. However, the effects of biomaterial chemistry and functionalization with nanoparticles on the performance of drug delivery systems should be investigated for their potential clinical use in the treatment of glaucoma. To our knowledge, this research has not yet been undertaken. This three-year project aims to investigate the development of biodegradable in situ gelling hydrogels containing hollow nanoparticles as new antiglaucoma formulations. In the first year, the hyaluronic acid-modified hollow polycaprolactone nanoparticles will be incorporated into the above-mentioned copolymers for consideration as a targeted and controlled pilocarpine delivery system. Biodegradable in situ gels containing melatonin-loaded poly-(1,4-phenyleneacetone dimethylene thioketal) nanoparticles fabricated in the second year will also be proposed as a novel drug delivery platform that can alleviate oxidative stress-related injuries. In the final year of the study, the use of nerve growth factor to protect retinal ganglion cells against glaucoma will be developed further for a multifunctional intracameral drug vehicle. It is expected that the proposed delivery system in this project will be beneficial in helping people who are experiencing vision loss.

Project ID:PC10601-0110
External Project ID:MOST104-2314-B182-008-MY3