There are several techniques of drug delivery to treat ocular diseases, which can be invasive or non-invasive. In the area of the non-invasive techniques, new pharmaceutical strategies based on nanotechnology and mucoadhesive polymers are emerging approaches to reach an efficient treatment of ocular diseases. The aim of this work is to develop novel nanoparticle systems with mucoadhesive properties, intended to encapsulate antioxidant molecules and, aiming to reduce the generation of oxidative stress and consequently ocular diseases. To improve the retention time of antioxidant molecules on the surface of the eye, our strategy involves the use of nanoparticles composed by chitosan and hyaluronic acid, with known mucoadhesive properties.
In conclusion, CS/HA nanoparticles is a promising platform for antioxidants delivery in the eye by increasing its residence time and controlled drug delivery. In the future, in vitro experiments would be useful to elucidate the biodistribution of drugs after ophthalmic application and would be also useful the scale-up of the manufacturing processes using a Quality by Design approach
