An Update on Novel Ocular Nanosystems with Possible Benefits in the Treatment of Corneal Neovascularization

Abstract

Chenchen Zhang,1 Yuan Yin,1 Jing Zhao,1 Yanxia Li,1 Yuanping Wang,1 Zhaoying Zhang,1 Lingzhi Niu,2 Yajuan Zheng1 1Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yajuan Zheng, Email [email protected]: Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is an ocular pathological change that results from an imbalance between angiogenic factors and antiangiogenic factors as a result of various ocular insults, including infection, inflammation, hypoxia, trauma, corneal degeneration, and corneal transplantation. Current clinical strategies for the treatment of CNV include pharmacological treatment and surgical intervention. Despite some degree of success, the current treatment strategies are restricted by limited efficacy, adverse effects, and a short duration of action. Recently, gene-based antiangiogenic therapy has become an emerging strategy that has attracted considerable interest. However, potential complications with the use of viral vectors, such as potential genotoxicity resulting from long-term expression and nonspecific targeting, cannot be ignored. The use of ocular nanosystems (ONS) based on nanotechnology has emerged as a great advantage in ocular disease treatment during the last two decades. The potential functions of ONS range from nanocarriers, which deliver drugs and genes to target sites in the eye, to therapeutic agents themselves. Various preclinical studies conducted to date have demonstrated promising results of the use of ONS in the treatment of CNV. In this review, we provide an overview of CNV and its current therapeutic strategies and summarize the properties and applications of various ONS related to the treatment of CNV reported to date. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive review of these considerable advances in ONS in the field of CNV therapy over the past two decades to fill the gaps in previous related reports. Finally, we discuss existing challenges and future perspectives of the use of ONS in CNV therapy, with the goal of providing a theoretical contribution to facilitate future practical growth in the area.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: ocular nanosystems, nanocarriers, corneal neovascularization, drug delivery, gene therapy

Keywords

• ocular nanosystems
• nanocarriers
• corneal neovascularization
• drug delivery
• gene therapy