Mucoadhesive olaminosomes: A novel prolonged release nanocarrier of agomelatine for the treatment of ocular hypertension.

Mucoadhesive olaminosomes are novel nanocarriers designed to control agomelatine release and enhance its bioavailability. Olaminosomes were prepared using oleic acid, oleylamine and sorbitan monooleate adopting thin film hydration technique. Chitosan HCl was added to impart the mucoadhesive properties to the olaminosomes. Mucoadhesive olaminosomes were characterized for their particle size, in-vitro drug release and irritation potentiality in rabbit eyes. The reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP) through 8 h in male New Zealand Albino rabbits was measured after administration of the selected formulations. Histopathological changes in rabbits' eye were also evaluated. Results revealed that increasing the amount of the added oleylamine decreased the particle size of the resulted vesicles and increased the drug release rate. Olaminosomes showed enhanced drug absorption, hence more reduction in IOP was observed. Moreover, using chitosan HCl might increase the residence time of the formulation in the eye and hence improved the absorption of the drug. No histopathological changes in rabbits' eye were detected after the application of mucoadhesive olaminosomes concluding their safety on the ocular tissues. In conclusion, mucoadhesive olaminosomes succeeded in enhancing agomelatine bioavailability in rabbits' eyes confirming the development of a novel ocular nanocarrier for insoluble drugs.