The Potentials and Challenges of Hydrogels for Ocular Therapy

Abstract

The major objective of any pharmacotherapeutic activity is to achieve an effective concentration of drug at a particular site of action for a sufficient period of time to produce a desired response or effect. The eye is a very important organ of the body because of its use in vision as well as its easy accessibility. Though solution-type drug delivery to the eye records high patient adherence but it is limited by poor ocular bioavailability due to certain pre-corneal physiological and anatomical obstacles. Hydrogels are important self-assembly nanoformulations that serve as alternatives to solution-type eye preparations with good potential to produce enhanced local absorption and bioavailability in the treatment of eye disorders that may be vision-threatening. This chapter will present an overview of the eye anatomy, ocular barriers, hydrogels and their classes, applications in ocular diseases, and future prospects of hydrogels in ophthalmic therapeutics.

Revolutionizing biomedicine: advancements, applications, and prospects of nanocomposite macromolecular carbohydrate-based hydrogel biomaterials: a review

“…This method involves the polymerization of monomers and the incorporation of nanoparticles within the hydrogel matrix. 43 The nanoparticles can be added during the polymerization process, allowing for the formation of a nanocomposite hydrogel. Crosslinking : nanocomposite hydrogels can be synthesized by crosslinking pre-formed polymers with nanoparticles.…”