Nanoparticles as drug carrier for the posterior chamber of the eye

Most of the ocular diseases leading to blindness are caused by posterior chamber damage. Unfortunately, different ocular barriers prevent drug delivery in this region of the eye. We previously demonstrated that magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are able to localize in the retinal pigmented layer (RPE) of the posterior chamber of Xenopus embryos after intraocular injection [1]. Our aim is to use MNPs as carrier for drug delivery in the posterior chamber of the eye by using zebrafish embryos as in vivo model. Human recombinant VEGF (rVEGF) protein of our synthesis was exploited as reporter drug and was covalently linked to homemade MNPs. We demonstrated that the functionalization approach does not impair the protein bioactivity as rVEGF-MNPs are able to induce neoangiogenesis. Our preliminary results demonstrate that naked MNPs localize in the RPE while rVEGF-MNP are able to cross the RPE layer and accumulate in the developing choroidal layer. We concluded that by changing the surface of MNP we are able to target specific region of posterior chamber. Thus, MNPs can be engineered to specifically localize in RPE or choroidal layer. References [1] Giannaccini M., et al. International Journal of Molecular Science, 15, 1 (2014) 1590 – 1605.