Peptide-based hydrogel eye drop stayed on the cornea over 20 minutes.
Self-assembled non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-peptide hydrogel to effectively mitigate ocular inflammation.
Yuhan Hu … Xingyi Li
Drug delivery · 2026
Background
Pranoprofen (Pra) eye drop has been widely used in clinical practice for the efficient mitigation of ocular inflammation, but it often suffers from poor bioavailability owing to the existence of various ocular barriers (i.e. tear barrier and corneal epithelial barrier).
>20 min
Results
>20 min
eye drop stayed on the eye's surface for over 20 minutes, longer contact means better drug absorption
More results
The generated hydrogel was thoroughly characterized using a rheometer and transmission electron microscopy (transmission electron microscopy).
The proposed Pra-ffd hardly caused cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7, L929, and human corneal epithelial cells (human corneal epithelial cells).
More results
Using an endotoxin-induced uveitis (endotoxin-induced uveitis) rabbit model, we demonstrated that topical instillation of Pra-ffd hydrogel effectively mitigated the inflammatory response in the anterior chamber and significantly reduced the entry of inflammatory cells from the circulation by preserving the integrity of the blood-aqueous humor barrier.
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Conclusion
Overall, the Pra-ffd hydrogel represents a promising ocular drug delivery platform for the treatment of inflammatory ocular disorders.