Delivery Systems in Ocular Retinopathies: The Promising Future of Intravitreal Hydrogels as Sustained-Release Scaffolds

Abstract

Slow-release delivery systems are needed to ensure long-term sustained treatments for retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, which are currently treated with anti-angiogenic agents that require frequent intraocular injections. These can cause serious co-morbidities for the patients and are far from providing the adequate drug/protein release rates and required pharmacokinetics to sustain prolonged efficacy. This review focuses on the use of hydrogels, particularly on temperature-responsive hydrogels as delivery vehicles for the intravitreal injection of retinal therapies, their advantages and disadvantages for intraocular administration, and the current advances in their use to treat retinal diseases.

Keywords

• hydrogels
• stimuli-responsive
• thermo-responsive
• retinopathies
• delivery systems
• intravitreal delivery