Faculty of Engineering and Science, School of Science, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent, UK.
Faculty of Biotechnology, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA), Cairo, Egypt.
J Pharm Pharmacol. 2022 Oct 10;74(10):1467-1476. doi: 10.1093/jpp/rgab173.
The aim of the work was to introduce 3D printing technology for the design and fabrication of drug-eluting contact lenses (DECL) for the treatment of glaucoma. The development of 3D printed lenses can effectively overcome drawbacks of existing approaches by using biocompatible medical grade polymers that provide sustained drug release of timolol maleate for extended periods.
Hot melt extrusion was coupled with fusion deposition modelling (FDM) to produce printable filaments of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer-polylactic acid blends at various ratios loaded with timolol maleate. Physicochemical and mechanical characterisation of the printed filaments was used to optimise the printing of the contact lenses.
3D printed lenses with an aperture (opening) and specified dimensions could be printed using FDM technology. The lenses presented a smooth surface with good printing resolution while providing sustained release of timolol maleate over 3 days. The findings of this study can be used for the development of personalised DECL in the future.
本工作旨在引入 3D 打印技术，用于设计和制作载药接触镜（DECL），以治疗青光眼。通过使用生物相容性的医用级聚合物来开发 3D 打印镜片，可以有效克服现有方法的缺点，为马来酸噻吗洛尔提供持续的药物释放，延长释放时间。
采用热熔挤出法与熔融沉积成型（FDM）相结合，在不同比例下将乙烯-醋酸乙烯共聚物-聚乳酸共混物制成可打印的细丝，负载马来酸噻吗洛尔。对打印细丝的理化和机械特性进行了表征，以优化接触镜的打印。
可以使用 FDM 技术打印出具有孔径（开口）和特定尺寸的 3D 打印镜片。镜片表面光滑，打印分辨率良好，同时能够在 3 天内持续释放马来酸噻吗洛尔。本研究的结果可用于未来个性化 DECL 的开发。
