Jain D, Carvalho E, Banerjee R
Biodegradable Hybrid Polymeric Membranes for Ocular Drug Delivery. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]
Acta Biomater 2009 Nov 6.
Ophthalmic delivery systems like ocular inserts are useful strategies to improve the ocular bioavailability of topically administered drugs. In the present study, polyvinyl alcohol and sodium carboxymethylcellulose based ocular inserts were prepared by solution casting method for sustained drug delivery of ciprofloxacin for treatment of topical infections. The polymers were esterified and formation of ester bonds was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The inserts had a smooth structure with a surface roughness of 7.3 nm. Inserts were found to be wettable by simulated tear fluid with contact angle < 45(o). Mechanical testing results indicated that the tensile strength of PVA-NaCMC (10:2 wt%) inserts is upto 8.9 +/- 1.9 MPa which is adequate to resist the pressure likely to be exerted during application. In vitro drug release kinetics showed sustained release of ciprofloxacin for up to 48 hrs from the inserts. Sodium fluorescein loaded inserts showed higher penetration of the dye in the posterior segment tissues of the explanted goat eye balls as compared to eye drop solution of sodium fluorescein. The inserts were nontoxic to corneal epithelial cells and showed no signs of acute ocular toxicity studies in vivo in albino rabbits.
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