Peptide hydrogel delivery boosts local retention of botulinum toxin A near injection site.
Localized and sustained release of Botulinum Toxin A from supramolecular peptide hydrogel for strabismus treatment.
Wei Guo … Hu Liu
Theranostics · 2026
Background
Botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) is an injectable neurotoxin widely used for the nonsurgical treatment of strabismus.
Methods
In this research, we co-assembled a pentapeptide hydrogelator Nap-Phe-Phe-Lys-Lys-Lys (NapFFKKK) with BTXA under mild physiological conditions to form a supramolecular hydrogel Gel Nap+BTXA for localized and sustained release of BTXA.
3.1-fold
Results
3.1-fold
Hydrogel delivery kept far more toxin concentrated at the muscle injection site.
More results
Furthermore, Gel Nap+BTXA effectively alleviated ptosis and provided more stable and long-lasting ocular alignment correction up to 2 months, with no detectable ocular or systemic toxicity.
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Conclusion
This study demonstrated a safe and efficient localized delivery strategy for BTXA, offering a promising alternative for strabismus treatment.