Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 4;14(1):23046. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74195-w.
Corneal ulcers, whether melting or indolent, are common in humans and companion animals. Treatment involves local administration of antibiotic eye drops and corneal healing drugs. Compared to traditional treatments for ulcerative keratitis, herbal medicines offer unique advantages, such as potent anti-inflammatory effects and inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines. Curcumin, extracted from the Curcuma Longa plant, possesses extensive pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant properties, and is used in various medicines. In this study, we developed a novel ophthalmic drop hydrogel using a formulation of Curcumin NPs encapsulated with β-cyclodextrin and hyaluronic acid, to accelerate corneal healing and improve the quality of healed structures. The formation of Curcumin NPs into Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels was characterized by zeta, FTIR, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. A total of 25 healthy male New Zealand Albino rabbits were experimentally induced with ulcerative keratitis and treated individually with topical medication. Rabbits were divided into five groups. Fluorescein dye staining, corneal clarity score, Schirmer tear test, proinflammatory cytokine measurement, and pathologic factors assessments were used to evaluate the optimised Curcumin NPs with β-cyclodextrin in Hyaluronic acid hydrogel. Our results demonstrated that the optimized Curcumin NPs with β-cyclodextrin in hyaluronic acid hydrogel significantly reduced the frequency of medication administration compared to conventional therapies, enhancing the quality of healed structures and effectively treating ulcerative keratitis. All findings in this study provide new insight into designing and fabricating novel ophthalmic medicine for ulcerative keratitis for topical usage.
角膜溃疡，无论是化脓性还是非化脓性，在人类和伴侣动物中都很常见。治疗方法包括局部使用抗生素眼药水和角膜愈合药物。与溃疡性角膜炎的传统治疗方法相比，草药具有独特的优势，例如具有强大的抗炎作用和抑制促炎细胞因子的作用。姜黄素从姜黄植物中提取，具有广泛的药理作用，如抗炎、抗癌和抗氧化作用，并用于各种药物中。在这项研究中，我们开发了一种新型的眼科滴眼用纳米粒子水凝胶，该水凝胶由用β-环糊精和透明质酸包封的姜黄素纳米粒子组成，以加速角膜愈合并改善愈合结构的质量。通过zeta、FTIR 和扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 分析来表征姜黄素纳米粒子形成的透明质酸基水凝胶。总共对 25 只健康雄性新西兰白化兔进行了溃疡性角膜炎的实验诱导，并分别进行局部药物治疗。兔子被分为五组。使用荧光素染色、角膜清晰度评分、泪液分泌试验、促炎细胞因子测量和病理因素评估来评估优化的姜黄素纳米粒子与透明质酸水凝胶中的 β-环糊精。我们的结果表明，与传统疗法相比，优化的姜黄素纳米粒子与透明质酸水凝胶中的β-环糊精显著减少了药物治疗的频率，提高了愈合结构的质量，并有效地治疗了溃疡性角膜炎。本研究中的所有发现为设计和制造用于溃疡性角膜炎的新型眼科局部用药提供了新的思路。
