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Hyaluronic acid‐based nanocomposite hydrogels for ocular drug delivery applications
Author(s) -
Widjaja Leonardus Kresna,
Bora Meghali,
Chan Paul Ng Poh Huat,
Lipik Vitali,
Wong Tina T. L.,
Venkatraman Subbu S.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.34976
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , materials science , drug delivery , hyaluronic acid , biocompatibility , swelling , biomedical engineering , controlled release , liposome , nanocarriers , drug carrier , nanotechnology , composite material , polymer chemistry , medicine , metallurgy , anatomy
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a widely investigated biomaterial for many therapeutic applications owing to its unique properties of biocompatibility, biodegradation, and viscoelasticity. HA being a natural component of eye tissue with significant role in wound healing is a natural choice as a carrier for ocular drug delivery, provided the incorporated drugs are released in a sustained manner. However, localized sustained release of drugs inside eye has been difficult to achieve because of the inability to retain carriers for long periods in the eye. Using noncrosslinked (soluble) HA offers limited control over site retention of drugs. In order to obtain prolonged sustained delivery, two HA‐based composite hydrogels incorporating nanocarriers, have been synthesized and characterized for swelling, rheology, degradation, and in vitro release of latanoprost, a drug used to reduce intraocular pressure. The HA is first chemically modified, mixed with drug‐loaded liposomes, and then crosslinked to obtain nanocomposite hydrogels. In vitro release study shows longer sustained release of latanoprost from composite hydrogels as compared to liposomes or hydrogels alone indicating additional resistance to drug diffusion because of the incorporation of liposomes inside the hydrogels. It is believed that these nanocomposite hydrogels, with controlled degradation properties and sustained release, could serve as potential drug delivery systems for many ocular diseases. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 102A: 3056–3065, 2014.