Abstract
A number of drug-releasing contact lenses are currently being studied to address issues inherent in eye drops as a drug delivery method. In this study, we developed epinastine hydrochloride-releasing daily soft contact lenses for treatment of allergic conjunctivitis and examined their in vitro and in vivo performance. Preformed soft contact lenses with/without ionic functional groups were soaked in a solution of epinastine hydrochloride in phosphate-buffered saline to prepare epinastine hydrochloride-releasing soft contact lenses. Among these contact lenses with different ionicities, anionic lenses demonstrated the maximum, relatively linear epinastine hydrochloride release, in vitro. The amount of epinastine hydrochloride release was directly proportional to the concentration of the epinastine hydrochloride solution used to prepare the contact lens. The epinastine hydrochloride-releasing anionic soft contact lens also demonstrated prolonged drug release and significantly greater efficacy compared with epinastine hydrochloride eye drops 12 h after treatment, in vivo. Further studies are required to determine the appropriate amount of epinastine hydrochloride to be contained in the anionic soft contact lenses.
Highlights
Eye drops are the most common form of ocular drug delivery, accounting for 90% of all the ophthalmic formulations [1]
There was a significant difference between the eyes treated by epinastine hydrochloride (EH)-EDs and those treated by EH-soft contact lenses (SCLs). These results indicated that initially EH-EDs and EH-releasing SCLs (EH-SCLs) demonstrated similar effectiveness, but after 6 h, while the effectiveness of the EH eye drops waned, the EH-SCLs remained effective, releasing EH
Though this study demonstrated the feasibility of the oneday disposable EH-releasing contact lens, it is still not clear whether the primary contribution of the long-term in vivo effect was due to the extended release of EH or its high bioavailability
Summary
Eye drops are the most common form of ocular drug delivery, accounting for 90% of all the ophthalmic formulations [1]. The simple approach to the target organs, the eye and its adnexa, is generally supported by doctors and patients; ocular drug delivery by eye drops has several shortcomings, including low bioavailability, uncontrolled dispersion of the majority of the medication, unintended systemic or local side effects, and insufficient patient adherence [2]. To address these issues, a number of drug-releasing contact lenses have been studied [3]. Drug-releasing contact lenses made by the conventional soaking
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