The movement of self-assembled amphiphilic polymeric nanoparticles in the vitreous and retina after intravitreal injection.
The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between the distribution of nanoparticles in the vitreous and retina and their surface properties after intravitreal injection. For this purpose, we synthesized seven kinds of nanoparticles through self-assembly of amphiphilic polymer conjugates in aqueous condition. They showed similar size but different surface properties. They were labeled with fluorescent dyes for efficient tracking. After intravitreal injection of these nanoparticles into a rodent eye, their time-dependent distribution in the vitreous and retina was determined in stacking tissue images by confocal microscopy. The results demonstrated that the surface property of nanoparticles is a key factor in determining their distribution in the vitreous and retina after intravitreal injection. In addition, immunohistochemistry and TEM images of retina tissues suggested the important mechanism related with Mülller cells for intravitreally administered nanoparticles to overcome the physical barrier of inner limiting membrane and to penetrate into the deeper retinal structures. Therefore, we expect that this study can provide valuable information for biomedical researchers to develop optimized nanoparticles as drug or gene carriers for retinal and optic nerve disorders such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 6, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea.
Heebeom
H
Koo
Hyungwon
H
Moon
Hyounkoo
H
Han
Jin Hee
JH
Na
Myung Sook
MS
Huh
Jae Hyung
JH
Park
Se Joon
SJ
Woo
Kyu Hyung
KH
Park
Ick Chan
IC
Kwon
Kwangmeyung
K
Kim
Hyuncheol
H
Kim
D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013499:Surface Properties; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure