Recent advancements in polymeric nanofibers for ophthalmic drug delivery and ophthalmic tissue engineering
Nanofibers due to their unique properties such as high surface-to-volume ratio, porous structure, mechanical strength, flexibility and their resemblance to the extracellular matrix, have been researched extensively in the field of ocular drug delivery and tissue engineering. Further, different modifications considering the formulation and process parameters have been carried out to alter the drug release profile and its interaction with the surrounding biological environment. Electrospinning is the most commonly used technique for preparing nanofibers with industrial scalability. Advanced techniques such as co-axial electrospinning and combined system such as embedding nanoparticles in nanofiber provide an alternative approach to enhance the performance of the scaffold.
Highlights
- Electrospun nanofibers are gaining attention for the fabrication of biodegradable and nonbiodegradable ophthalmic scaffolds
- Nanofiber-based ocular scaffolds increase the drug retention time in the cul-de-sacand resemblance with extracellular matrix
- The fabrication process and materials have a significant effect on the performance of nanofibers scaffolds
- Various polymer based nanofiber scaffolds studied for ophthalmic drug delivery and ophthalmic tissue engineering
Electrospun nanofibers offers a matrix like structure for cell regeneration. Nanofibers have been used for ocular delivery of various drugs like antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and various proteins. In addition, lens-coated medical devices provide new insights into the clinical use of nanofibers. Through fabricating the nanofibers researchers have overcome the issues of low bioavailability and compatibility with ocular tissue. Therefore, nanofibers have great potential in ocular drug delivery and tissue engineering and have the capacity to revolutionize these therapeutic areas in the field of ophthalmology. This review is mainly focused on the recent advances in the preparation of nanofibers and their applications in ocular drug delivery and tissue engineering. The authors have attempted to emphasize the processing challenges and future perspectives along with an overview of the safety and toxicity aspects of nanofibers.
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Excipients mentioned in the study beside others: Povidones, PLGA, PEG
Darshana Sakpal, Sankalp Gharat, Munira Momin, Recent advancements in polymeric nanofibers for ophthalmic drug delivery and ophthalmic tissue engineering, Biomaterials Advances, Volume 141, 2022, 213124, ISSN 2772-9508, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.213124.