review · Journal of Controlled Release
Diseases affecting the front part of the eye are a leading cause of global vision impairment and blindness. Although topical eye drops are user-friendly, their effectiveness is severely limited because the eye's natural barriers prevent most of the drug from reaching its target, often resulting in less than 5% bioavailability. This review examines various nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, such as micelles, nanosuspensions, nanoparticles, and liposomes, which are being investigated to improve drug retention and permeation in the eye. It discusses these nanocarriers as potential alternatives to conventional ocular delivery methods for treating anterior eye conditions, addresses the challenges in translating them into clinical use, and considers their prospects for delivering phytoactive compounds.
Improving drug delivery to the front of the eye is vital for effectively treating conditions that cause vision loss and blindness. Nanotechnology offers a promising approach to overcome the current limitations of eye drops, potentially leading to more effective treatments and better outcomes for patients suffering from anterior eye diseases.
This research explores advanced drug delivery systems that could lead to more effective treatments for anterior eye diseases. Pharmaceutical companies could utilise these nanotechnology-based approaches to develop new, more potent ocular medications. The work is currently in the investigation and review stage, highlighting challenges for clinical translation, indicating it is early-stage research rather than near-market.
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Diseases affecting the anterior segment of the eye are the primary causes of vision impairment and blindness globally. Drug administration through the topical ocular route is widely accepted because of its user/patient friendliness - ease of administration and convenience. However, it remains a significant challenge to efficiently deliver drugs to the eye through this route because of various structural and physiological constraints that restrict the distribution of therapeutic molecules into the ocular tissues. The bioavailability of topically applied ocular medications such as eye drops is typically less than 5%. Developing novel delivery systems to increase the retention time on the ocular surfaces and permeation through the cornea is one of the approaches adopted to boost the bioavailability of topically administered medications. Drug delivery systems based on nanotechnology such as micelles, nanosuspensions, nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, liposomes, dendrimers, niosomes, cubosomes and nanowafers have been investigated as effective alternatives to conventional ocular delivery systems in treating diseases of the anterior segment of the eye. This review discussed different nanotechnology-based delivery systems that are currently investigated for treating and managing diseases affecting the anterior ocular tissues. We also looked at the challenges in translating these systems into clinical use and the prospects of nanocarriers as a vehicle for the delivery of phytoactive compounds to the anterior segment of the eye.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.01.018
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