Incidence ofglaucoma, a severe disease
leading to irreversible
loss of vision, is increasing with global aging populations. Lowering
intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only proven treatment method for
glaucoma. Nitric oxide (NO) is an emerging material targeting the
conventional outflow pathway by relaxing the trabecular meshwork (TM).
However, there is little understanding on the NO level effective in
IOP lowering without toxicity. Here, we report a novel long-term NO-releasing
polydiazeniumdiolate (NOP) that enables lowering IOP via the conventional
outflow pathway. NOP is composed of carbon-bound polydiazeniumdiolate,
a stable NO donor moiety. NO release was monitored with accurate parameters
by real-time detection of gas and analysis of the accumulated release
profile. Based on the NO release information, the selected safe level
of NOP exhibited effective TM relaxation and a potential IOP lowering
effect in vivo without side effects. This work provides new insights
into nitric oxide release behavior that should be considered for glaucoma
treatment
