Cassano Roberta, Di Gioia Maria Luisa, Trombino Sonia
Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, 87036 Cosenza, Italy.
Gels. 2021 Aug 29;7(3):130. doi: 10.3390/gels7030130.
The most common route of administration of ophthalmic drugs is the topical route because it is convenient, non-invasive, and accessible to all patients. Unfortunately, drugs administered topically are not able to reach effective concentrations. Moreover, their bioavailability must be improved to decrease the frequency of administrations and their side effects, and to increase their therapeutic efficiency. For this purpose, in recent decades, particular attention has been given to the possibility of developing prolonged-release forms that are able to increase the precorneal residence time and decrease the loss of the drug due to tearing. Among these forms, gel-based materials have been studied as an ideal delivery system because they are an extremely versatile class with numerous prospective applications in ophthalmology. These materials are used in gel eye drops, in situ gelling formulations, intravitreal injections, and therapeutic contact lenses. This review is intended to describe gel-based materials and their main applications in ophthalmology.
眼科药物最常见的给药途径是局部给药，因为它方便、无创，所有患者都可采用。不幸的是，局部给药的药物无法达到有效浓度。此外，必须提高它们的生物利用度，以减少给药频率及其副作用，并提高其治疗效果。为此，近几十年来，人们特别关注开发能够延长角膜前停留时间并减少因流泪导致药物损失的缓释剂型的可能性。在这些剂型中，基于凝胶的材料已被研究作为一种理想的给药系统，因为它们是一类极其通用的材料，在眼科有众多潜在应用。这些材料用于凝胶眼药水、原位凝胶制剂、玻璃体内注射和治疗性隐形眼镜。本综述旨在描述基于凝胶的材料及其在眼科的主要应用。
