Ocular Surface Drug Delivery System Enables Cyclosporine A Delivery for DED

An ocular surface drug delivery system may improve delivery of cyclosporine A and achieve a combinatorial effect for treating dry eye disease (DED), according to research published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. Se-PEG-PPG, a selenium-substituted random copolymer is the key to the system’s design, which reduces intracellular oxidative stress and improves the therapeutic effects of cyclosporine A on inhibiting corneal epithelial injury. This ultimately protects goblet cells and enables tear secretion, according to the report. 

Researchers performed in vitro evaluations on human corneal epithelial cell lines and in vivo assessments on murine dry eye models to assess the ocular surface drug delivery system’s ability to improve cyclosporine A delivery. In the human models, investigators determined antioxidant activity, cyclosporine A concentration, and critical micelle concentration. The team topically administered the eye drop formulations twice daily for 7 days (5 μL each eye) in the murine models. 

The researchers observed precipitates in the ocular surface drug delivery system following co-incubation with reactive oxygen species — an indication of cyclosporine A release. In the murine model, the topical application of the ocular surface drug delivery system enhanced tear production compared with the other groups, indicating a more efficient dry eye treatment. 

“This drug carrier is utilized together with the loaded anti-inflammatory drug to achieve a combinatorial treatment of DED,” the researchers explain. “Taken together, this multifunctional drug delivery system provides a promising approach for the treatment of DED and various [reactive oxygen species]-related ocular diseases.”

The use of in vitro testing on human corneas and a failure to compare outcomes with a control group are limitations to the research.