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Applied Sciences
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Glaucoma: Innovative Drug Delivery Systems for Its Treatment
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Glaucoma: Innovative Drug Delivery Systems for Its Treatment

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical and Molecular Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 12030

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Stavroula Nanaki

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: polymer chemistry; synthesis and modification of polymers; drug delivery systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Glaucoma is a disease caused when pressure builds up inside the eye, damaging the optic nerve that connects the eye to the brain. If it is not treated in time, it can cause irreversible blindness. It is responsible for the loss of vision of 4.5 million people across the globe, a parameter that renders glaucoma the third highest cause of blindness worldwide. Treatment of glaucoma is composed of drug formulations and/or surgery.

This Special Issue aims to cover all aspects of innovative drug delivery systems for the treatment of glaucoma. Special emphasis will be placed on novel polymeric matrices, organic and inorganic nanoparticles, and formulations consisting of eye drops, gels, and contact lenses. We also intend to include antibody formulations in this Special Issue. In vitro and/or in vivo experiments concerning drug formulations will also be accepted. Finally, we would like to emphasize that this Special Issue is widely inclusive, so we expect a large number of works to fall within its scope.

Dr. Stavroula Nanaki
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • glaucoma
  • drug delivery systems
  • polymers
  • organic/inorganic nanoparticles

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

15 pages, 1495 KiB  
Review
In Vivo Efficacy of Contact Lens Drug-Delivery Systems in Glaucoma Management. A Systematic Review
by Francesco Sartini, Martina Menchini, Chiara Posarelli, Giamberto Casini and Michele Figus
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 724; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11020724 - 13 Jan 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2489
Abstract
Adherence is crucial in medical glaucoma therapy, although half of the patients skip eyedrops. In recent years alternative drug-delivery systems have been developed. One of the most promising seems the contact lens (CL). This systematic review aims to present the in vivo efficacy [...] Read more.
Adherence is crucial in medical glaucoma therapy, although half of the patients skip eyedrops. In recent years alternative drug-delivery systems have been developed. One of the most promising seems the contact lens (CL). This systematic review aims to present the in vivo efficacy of different CL drug-delivery systems. A total of 126 studies were identified following a literature search adhering to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. After full-text evaluation, 19 studies about CL drug-delivery systems were included. To date, the following drug-delivery systems have been investigated in vivo: drug-soaked CL, CL with physical barriers (vitamin E), molecularly imprinted CL, CL with implants, and nanoparticle-loaded CL. Nanoparticle-loaded CL and CL with implants seem the most promising drug-delivery systems, although initial burst drug release and patient acceptance may limit their widespread use in current practice. Clinical trials are warranted to understand the role of CL as a drug-delivery system in improving glaucomatous patient care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glaucoma: Innovative Drug Delivery Systems for Its Treatment)
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22 pages, 941 KiB  
Review
Neurotrophic Factors in Glaucoma and Innovative Delivery Systems
by Fabiana Mallone, Marta Sacchetti, Alice Bruscolini, Luca Scuderi, Marco Marenco and Alessandro Lambiase
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(24), 9015; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10249015 - 17 Dec 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2853
Abstract
Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease and a worldwide leading cause of irreversible vision loss. In the last decades, high efforts have been made to develop novel treatments effective in inducing protection and/or recovery of neural function in glaucoma, including neurotrophic factors (NTFs). These [...] Read more.
Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease and a worldwide leading cause of irreversible vision loss. In the last decades, high efforts have been made to develop novel treatments effective in inducing protection and/or recovery of neural function in glaucoma, including neurotrophic factors (NTFs). These approaches have shown encouraging data in preclinical setting; however, the challenge of sustained, targeted delivery to the retina and optic nerve still prevents the clinical translation. In this paper, the authors review and discuss the most recent advances for the use of NTFs treatment in glaucoma, including intraocular delivery. Novel strategies in drug and gene delivery technology for NTFs are proving effective in promoting long-term retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) survival and related functional improvements. Results of experimental and clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of biodegradable slow-release NTF-loaded microparticle devices, encapsulated NTF-secreting cells implants, mimetic ligands for NTF receptors, and viral and non-viral NTF gene vehicles are discussed. NTFs are able to prevent and even reverse apoptotic ganglion cell death. Nevertheless, neuroprotection in glaucoma remains an open issue due to the unmet need of sustained delivery to the posterior segment of the eye. The recent advances in intraocular delivery systems pave the way for possible future use of NTFs in clinical practice for the treatment of glaucoma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glaucoma: Innovative Drug Delivery Systems for Its Treatment)
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20 pages, 888 KiB  
Review
Contact Lenses as Drug Delivery System for Glaucoma: A Review
by Assumpta Peral, Alejandro Martinez-Aguila, Cristina Pastrana, Fernando Huete-Toral, Carlos Carpena-Torres and Gonzalo Carracedo
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(15), 5151; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10155151 - 27 Jul 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6168
Abstract
Glaucoma is an optical neuropathy associated to a progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells with visual field loss and is the main cause of irreversible blindness in the world. The treatment has the aim to reduce intraocular pressure. The first therapy option is [...] Read more.
Glaucoma is an optical neuropathy associated to a progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells with visual field loss and is the main cause of irreversible blindness in the world. The treatment has the aim to reduce intraocular pressure. The first therapy option is to instill drugs on the ocular surface. The main limitation of this is the reduced time of the drug staying on the cornea. This means that high doses are required to ensure its therapeutic effect. A drug-loaded contact lens can diffuse into the post lens tear film in a constant and prolonged flow, resulting in an increased retention of the drug on the surface of the cornea for up to 30 min and thus providing a higher drug bioavailability, increasing the therapeutic efficacy, reducing the amount of administered drug, and thereby provoking fewer adverse events. Several different systems of drug delivery have been studied in recent decades; ranging from more simple methods of impregnating the lenses, such as soaking, to more complex ones, such as molecular imprinting have been proposed. Moreover, different drugs, from those already commercially available to new substances such as melatonin have been studied to improve the glaucoma treatment efficacy. This review describes the role of contact lenses as an innovative drug delivery system to treat glaucoma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glaucoma: Innovative Drug Delivery Systems for Its Treatment)
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