Peter Maneesha, Panonnummal Rajitha
Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Institute of Medical Science & Research Centre, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi-682041, India.
Adv Pharm Bull. 2021 May;11(3):399-413. doi: 10.34172/apb.2021.048. Epub 2020 Sep 19.
Glaucoma is an irreversible condition resulting from the increase in intraocular pressure (IOP); which leads to permanent loss of vision with the destruction of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The IOP elevations are controlled in normal by the physiological flow of aqueous humour. A population with age above 40 is more susceptible to glaucoma. Other factors like gender, genetics, race etc. plays major roles in the development of the disease. Current treatment methods available for the disease includes drugs come under the classes of beta receptor blockers, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, cholinergic agonists, prostaglandins etc. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibition, cytoskeletal agents, Rho-kinase inhibitors etc are few novel targets sites which are in research focus for the treatment of the disease. Developments in nanomedicine are also being evaluated for their potential in treating the growing glaucomatous population. Nanosystems are suggested to avoid the difficulties in tackling the various ocular barriers to a limit, help to decrease the instillation frequency of topical medication and can provide drug delivery in a sustained or controlled manner. This review focuses on the current and emerging treatment methods for glaucoma along with some of the nanoformulations for ocular drug delivery.
青光眼是一种由眼内压（IOP）升高导致的不可逆病症，IOP升高会导致视网膜神经节细胞（RGCs）受损，进而造成永久性视力丧失。在正常情况下，房水的生理流动可控制IOP升高。40岁以上人群更容易患青光眼。其他因素，如性别、遗传、种族等，在该疾病的发展中起主要作用。目前针对该疾病的治疗方法包括β受体阻滞剂、碳酸酐酶抑制剂、胆碱能激动剂、前列腺素等类别的药物。N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸（NMDA）拮抗剂、诱导型一氧化氮合酶（iNOS）抑制、细胞骨架药物、Rho激酶抑制剂等是该疾病治疗研究重点关注的一些新靶点。纳米医学的发展也在评估其治疗不断增加的青光眼患者群体的潜力。纳米系统被认为可以在一定程度上避免应对各种眼部屏障的困难，有助于减少局部用药的滴注频率，并能以持续或可控的方式进行药物递送。本综述重点关注青光眼的当前和新兴治疗方法以及一些用于眼部药物递送的纳米制剂。
