Light‐Activated Anti‐Vascular Combination Therapy against Choroidal Neovascularization

Abstract

Abstract Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) underlies the crux of many angiogenic eye disorders. Although medications that target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are approved for treating CNV, their effectiveness in destroying new blood vessels is limited, and invasive intravitreal administration is required. Additionally, other drugs that destroy established neovessels, such as combretastatin A‐4, may have systemic side effects that limit their therapeutic benefits. To overcome these shortcomings, a two‐pronged anti‐vascular approach is presented for CNV treatment using a photoactivatable nanoparticle system that can release a VEGF receptor inhibitor and a vascular disrupting agent when irradiated with 690 nm light. The nanoparticles can be injected intravenously to enable anti‐angiogenic and vascular disrupting combination therapy for CNV through light irradiation to the eyes. This approach can potentiate therapeutic effects while maintaining a favorable biosafety profile for choroidal vascular diseases.

Keywords

• choroidal neovascularization (CNV)
• combretastatin A‐4
• cyanine prodrug
• near‐infrared (NIR) light‐activation
• self‐assembled nanoparticles