Wei Dong, Pu Ning, Li Si-Yu, Zhao Na, Song Zong-Ming, Tao Ye
Henan Eye Institute, Henan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital (People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University), Zhengzhou 450003, China.
College of Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Gels. 2023 Jun 26;9(7):519. doi: 10.3390/gels9070519.
The human eye is a consolidated organ with delicate structures and unique immune privileges. Ocular diseases are intractable due to the intrinsic biological barriers within the eyeball. Hydrogels are excellent drug-carrying substances with soft material and excellent properties. They have been extensively used to deliver drugs into ocular tissue via iontophoresis devices. Ophthalmic iontophoresis is an electrochemical technique using tiny electrical currents to deliver drugs into the eye non-invasively. The early infantile iontophoresis technique often required long applying time to achieve therapeutic dose in the posterior ocular segment. The potential limitations in the initial drug concentration and the maximum safe currents would also impede the efficiency and safety of iontophoresis. Moreover, the poor patient compliance always leads to mechanical damage to the cornea and sclera during application. Advantageously, the flexible drug-carrying hydrogel can be in direct contact with the eye during iontophoresis, thereby reducing mechanical damage to the ocular surface. Moreover, the water absorption and adjustable permeability of hydrogels can reduce the electrochemical (EC) reactions and enhance the efficiency of iontophoresis. In this review, we focus on recent developments of hydrogels iontophoresis in ophthalmologic practice. Refinements of the knowledge would provide an outlook for future application of hydrogels in treating ocular disease.
人眼是一个结构精细且具有独特免疫特权的整合器官。由于眼球内部存在固有的生物屏障，眼部疾病难以治疗。水凝胶是一类具有柔软材质和优异性能的优良载药物质。它们已被广泛用于通过离子电渗疗法装置将药物递送至眼部组织。眼科离子电渗疗法是一种利用微小电流将药物无创地递送至眼内的电化学技术。早期的婴幼儿离子电渗疗法技术通常需要较长的施加时间才能在眼后段达到治疗剂量。初始药物浓度和最大安全电流方面的潜在限制也会阻碍离子电渗疗法的效率和安全性。此外，患者依从性差总是会导致在应用过程中对角膜和巩膜造成机械损伤。有利的是，柔性载药水凝胶在离子电渗疗法期间可与眼睛直接接触，从而减少对眼表的机械损伤。此外，水凝胶的吸水性和可调节的渗透性可减少电化学（EC）反应并提高离子电渗疗法的效率。在本综述中，我们关注水凝胶离子电渗疗法在眼科实践中的最新进展。对这些知识的完善将为水凝胶在治疗眼部疾病中的未来应用提供展望。
