Controlled Drug Delivery Device for Cornea Treatment and Novel Method for Its Testing

Abstract

A new solution for local anesthetic and antibiotic delivery after eye surgery is presented. A contact lens-shaped collagen drug carrier was created and loaded by Levofloxacin and Tetracaine with a riboflavin crosslinked surface layer, thus impeding diffusion. The crosslinking was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, whereas the drug release was investigated using UV-Vis spectrometry. Due to the surface barrier, the drug gradually releases into the corneal tissue. To test the function of the carrier, a 3D printed device and a new test method for a controlled drug release, which mimics the geometry and physiological lacrimation rate of the human eye, were developed. The experimental setup with simple geometry revealed that the prepared drug delivery device can provide the prolonged release profile of the pseudo-first-order for up to 72 h. The efficiency of the drug delivery was further demonstrated using a dead porcine cornea as a drug recipient, without the need to use live animals for testing. Our drug delivery system significantly surpasses the efficiency of antibiotic and anesthetic eyedrops that would have to be applied approximately 30 times per hour to achieve the same dose as that delivered continuously by our device.

Towards Precision Ophthalmology: The Role of 3D Printing and Bioprinting in Oculoplastic Surgery, Retinal, Corneal, and Glaucoma Treatment

“…Urbánek et al developed a 3D-printed contact-lens-like drug delivery device (CLLD) embedded with levofloxacin and tetracaine and compared the drug release and penetration profile through the cornea versus topical eye drops ex vivo. The amount of released API (tetracaine/levofloxacin) from the CLLD was significantly greater compared to the predicted typical ocular absorption of the drugs from eye drops [ 93 ]. Although no in vivo testing of the device for infection control and prophylaxis was conducted, given the amount of API absorption measured, its clinical benefit would likely be very similar to commercially available eye drops.…”